Falling from Grace
by blackandblood
Summary: In an alternate universe, a dark power is rising. As Princess Zoe's castle is seized, Takuya and Kouji are bounty hunters sent to protect her from the murderous forces. They must flee from the tyrant, as well try to regain power of the kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

**alright, here is the first chapter of my newest story. i had a slight case of writer's block, but i think im good for now. i hope you like it, so let me know how it is. its kinda futuristic in a way, so don't expect anything medieval. anyway, before i bore you to death, i now present chapter 1. enjoy ^_^**

**Falling From Grace**

**Chapter 1**

From beyond the horizon, two bounty hunters could see the towering white castle. It reached over twelve stories and its glass windows glittered in the setting sun.

"This is it," one of the hunters said.

The other one sighed. "Why are we doing this, Takuya? We're bounty hunters, not babysitters."

"Kouji, you know damn well why we are. The king specifically requested our services to protect his daughter at all costs. He cannot leave the palace, for if he does, it will be invaded that much quicker. At least the princess will be safe for the time being." Takuya glanced at him. "So quit whining."

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just get this done and over with. I don't want to stick around for much longer."

They continued their journey over the hilltops, finally coming to a vast opening. Outside the castle stood nearly fifty guards, all armed for battle.

Takuya walked up to them, followed by Kouji.

"Excuse me, but the king is expecting us," the brunette said to one of the guards.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Do you have the letter he sent you?"

"Yes, right here." Takuya handed him the folded piece of paper.

After skimming it, the guard nodded. "Very well. Go straight down the corrider and through the doors. You must hurry, though."

"Thank you," Takuya replied, making his way inside.

"Let's just grab the brat and go," Kouji said, annoyed. "I'm really not happy with the assignment."

"Kouji, will you shut up already? Damn...." Takuya sighed.

A moment later they came up to the doors and opened them. Within the enormous room stood almost a hundred more guards, as well as two thrones.

The king sat in one of them, his red robe cascading down the floor. He rose, gesturing them to come forward. Sitting silently in the other one was a blond girl in a purple gown. Her green eyes stared vacantly down at the floor.

"Takuya Kanbara and Kouji Minamoto, I've been expecting you," the king said warmly. "I will be forever grateful for your services."

"It's no problem at all, Your Highness. We are more than happy to escort the princess to safety." Takuya smiled. "Aren't we, Kouji?"

"What? Oh, yeah," Kouji replied. "Of course we are."

The king glanced at the side, where a girl was leaning against one of the pillars holding the ceiling up.

"This is Ami. She will be guiding you through the safest passages to leave the kingdom. Although you probably weren't expecting to travel with anyone else, I assure you she will be very helpful."

Ami stepped forward, her black hair gently sweeping against her shoulders. She wore a skin-tight leather bodysuit and she had a knife strapped to each of her calves. A large machine gun was slung over her shoulders, resting against her back. Her sapphire eyes bore into the bounty hunters with slight disdain.

"Pleased to meet you," she said in a low voice. "I hope me joining you isn't too much of an inconvenience."

Before either one of them could answer, the king chuckled. "Nonsense, the more the merrier. Also, you and Zoe have been friends since you were infants. I'm sure the princess will be more than happy for your company. By the way, Zoe please come here."

The blond meekly walked up to Takuya and Kouji. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"Anytime," Takuya replied cheekily.

A second later, another girl emerged from behind one of the thrones. She was dressed exactly like the princess and had long blond hair to match.

"Who's that?" Takuya asked, bewildered.

"A decoy," the king stated. "It will throw off the forces so they don't suspect that Zoe escaped. Don't worry, though. She will be protected as well, but it will buy some extra time."

"Oh." Takuya nodded in understanding. "That makes sense."

The king's smile quickly disappeared. "You must hurry, though. Before it's too late."

Princess Zoe looked at her father with worried eyes. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters," he said.

"But-"

"But nothing," he cut her off. "Now go."

Zoe gave him a brief hug, a tear running down her face. "Take care."

"You too."

"This way," Ami said, opening the door to the next room. She was holding onto a large bag. "Hurry."

Takuya, Zoe, and Kouji quickly made their way through, Ami pulling the door tightly shut behind them.

"We must hurry. The forces will be here any minute, so that doesn't leave us with much time," Ami told them.

She led them out the castle, behind one of the hills.

"Where are we going?" Kouji asked.

"Just be quiet and follow me. The enemy might be close and we can't risk letting them hear us. But don't worry, I'll get us outta here," Ami replied.

The four of them jogged away from the invaded land, their hearts pounding. Princess Zoe stumbled, causing Takuya to grab her wrist and pull her along. She gave him an annoyed look and wretched it free.

"I don't need your help," she told him.

Takuya shrugged. "Whatever."

Finally, almost forty minutes later, Ami stopped them.

"There is a cottage close by. We will be sleeping there tonight, but we must leave early in the morning. If we stay too long, the enemy will find us."

Kouji raised an eyebrow. "Who exactly is after the kingdom?"

Ami smirked. "He is none other than the king's own brother. He's enraged that he himself wasn't crowned king and began a riot over a year ago. He was exiled and hasn't been heard from since. Well, since a week ago, I should say."

The princess looked at them. "His name is Reuben Chambers and after he was run out of the kingdom, he started his own army. Most of the men are petty criminals and murderers. They feel as though society has wronged them and now they've returned for a vengeance."

Takuya's eyes widened. "Damn. But won't they find us sooner? I mean, we're not even an hour away from the palace."

"The decoy will drastically slow them down," Ami said. "Reuben is not the brightest man in the world, but he is quite possibly the most ruthless."

"Even if my father died, I would take over the throne, whether or not I had a husband by then." Zoe sighed. "Reuben wasn't too pleased about that fact and made it his goal to eliminate the two of us."

Ami smirked. "Good thing I'm a bounty hunter as well, so I know a thing or two about protecting royalty."

"Let's just go already," Kouji said impatiently. "Where's the cottage?"

"Down this path," Ami told them, leading the way. "Just a few more minutes to go. We leave at dawn."

"Are we going to be walking the entire way?" Takuya asked, not liking the prospect of the journey on foot.

Zoe shook her head. "My father took the liberty of sending a mode of transportation."

"And that would be.....?" Kouji trailed off, waiting for an answer.

"Hope you guys know how to ride a motorcyle," Ami said with a snicker. "If not, then you'll be shit out of luck."

About five minutes later, they came up to a small cottage. By now it was nightfall, and the nocturnal animals of the night cried out ominously in the darkness. Although it was rather small, the cottage was very neat and well-kept inside.

"Make yourselves comfortable," the princess said.

Takuya and Kouji sighed, walking over to a table. They began to remove their heavy coats and weapon belts. The girls watched as they pulled out various knives, bombs, guns, bullets, and first aid supplies. Ami dropped her bag onto the floor and laid her machine gun on the table.

"I think there is something we should tell you." A smirk was on her face.

Takuya frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Ami and I are not who you think we are," Zoe told them. "We didn't want to tell you before we got here. It was for the better, though."

"What are you getting at?" Kouji looked angry. "Don't tell me that this was all a trick and that the palace isn't really in danger."

"No, nothing like that," Ami replied. "That part we were honest about. However, it's time to show you what we mean."

Takuya and Kouji exchanged confused glances.

Princess Zoe reached up to her head and tugged onto her hair. To the guys' surprise, her blond hair fell to the floor. Beneath it was black hair pulled tightly into a bun. She lowered her head and touched her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Takuya asked.

When she looked up, her eyes were no longer green. Instead they were a dark sapphire blue and she held a pair of contacts in her hands.

"I'm not Princess Zoe," she said.

Speechless, they stared at the girl in the leather. She too tugged off her raven wig and showed her long blond hair tied into a bun. After removing her blue contacts, her true eye color was shown to be emerald green.

"And I'm not Ami." She smiled. "Surprise."

Takuya and Kouji stared at them, dumbfounded.

"Okay, can someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Takuya asked.

**chapter 1 is finished. im really not satisfied with this chapter, but im having a severe case of writers block and didn't want to be stuck on the same thing. so i hope you didn't think it was too bad. i promise that ill try my hardest to come up with decent chapters. chapter 2 should be out in a few days. please let me know how you liked it, okay? thank you and until next time, bye**


	2. Chapter 2

**sorry for taking so damn long to update. but you know how it goes with writer's block -_-; well, hope this chapter clears some things up for you guys. now onto the story**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 2**

Takuya and Kouji stared at the girls, a look of utter bewilderment on their faces.

The girl with the dark hair laughed. "I'm actually Ami, not Princess Zoe."

"And I'm really Zoe. I was only pretending to be Ami." The blond was undoing her hair, letting it softly cascade over her shoulders.

"So....you switched identities?" Takuya raised an eyebrow incredulously. "What the hell was the point of that?"

Ami smirked, then shook her head. "We decided to be intelligent about the escape."

"By making us look like morons?" Kouji glared at them.

"No, you idiot. We cannot let the princess be captured, no matter what. So we decided to put on a facade should anything go wrong," Ami told them. "Since I have more extensive training than Zoe, it would be better suited for me to be the one who was captured if it came down to it."

Takuya stared at them blankly. "I don't get it."

Zoe sighed. "The enemies wouldn't be targeting Ami, so it was safer for me to pretend to be her. That way, if they managed to to take her hostage thinking it was me, she would have a much easier time escaping. I have a little combat training, but nothing compared to Ami."

"Well, I guess it makes sense," Takuya said. "Pretty intelligent if you ask me. Plus the extra decoy at the kingdom helped."

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that," Kouji added.

Ami looked down at her gown with disgust. "Ugh, I hate dresses. How the hell can you wear these things?"

"You get used to it," Zoe replied. "And I can barely move in this damn leather outfit."

"Be right back," Ami said, grabbing the bag on the floor and Zoe's wrist. "Time to change out of this monstrosity...."

The two girls entered the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

"Great," Kouji muttered. "I knew this mission would be a drag...."

"Eh, shut up. You're just mad that Ami called you an idiot," Takuya taunted.

Kouji turned red. "No, I'm not. I can already tell that I'm not gonna get along with that girl."

"I saw the way you looked at her," his friend replied with a laugh. "You don't have to deny it."

"You're one to talk. I saw the way you were staring Zoe up and down in that friggen outfit of hers," Kouji shot back.

"Was not," Takuya growled, turning slightly red himself. "She's just some girl."

Kouji snorted. "Yeah, it's not like she's a _princess_ or anything."

"You know what I mean," Takuya angrily replied. "You're such a-"

"Will you two shut up already?" Ami rolled her eyes as she walked out of the bathroom, Zoe right behind her.

"Yeah, you two sound like a bickering married couple," Zoe quipped.

Ami was wearing a black tank top with matching sweatpants, while Zoe wore a light blue top with white sweatpants. Ami pulled her hair out of its bun, letting her bangs fall over her forehead.

"I take it that you like black," Kouji commented.

"Yeah, what's it too ya?" Ami shot him an annoyed look.

"Both of you, be quiet." Zoe rolled her eyes, then shifted her attention to Takuya. "So, is this cottage to your liking?"

Takuya looked around, for he had not taken the time to do so when they had arrived. There was a tiny kitchen large enough for only one person to move around in, as well as a small table close by. Cupboards adorned the walls, various cups hanging from the hooks beneath them. In front of one of the walls were three beds, each carefully prepared.

"There's only three beds," Kouji pointed out. "Where's the fourth person supposed to sleep?"

Ami smirked. "Well, obviously Zoe gets one because she's the princess. And then I get one because I am _not_ sleeping on the floor. And since Takuya hasn't pissed me off like you have, he can have the third."

"Haha! Looks like you get the floor then," Takuya laughed.

"What? That's bullshit," Kouji protested. "Why should I have to go on the floor?"

"Um, did you guys not notice one thing?" Zoe asked.

The other three looked at her, confused. "What?"

"One of the beds is bigger than the others," she pointed out. "So that means two people can fit in that one."

"Ohh...."

"Also," Zoe added. "There is a couch long enough for a full-grown man to stretch out on."

Takuya blushed. "Wow, we're idiots."

"You said it, not me," Kouji shot back. "It's her fault anyway."

"Me? What the hell did I do?" Ami angrily replied. "Still mad that I screwed around with your head?"

Takuya and Zoe glanced at each other, rolling their eyes.

"Why do I have a feeling that living with those two isn't going to be pleasant?" Takuya asked.

"You're the one who's an idiot!" Kouji and Ami screamed at each other.

"Because it won't be," Zoe said, answering Takuya's question.

The brunette sighed, then began to make his way to the kitchen. "Friggen starving here...are you?"

"Yeah, kind of." Zoe followed him. "Want some help?"

"If you can sqeeze in this tight space with me, then by all means, go ahead. Are you two hungry?" Takuya called to Kouji and Ami.

"No," they answered unanimously.

Kouji glared at Ami. "He was talking to me!"

Ami bore her dark eyes into his. "He said 'you two'. So therefore, he was speaking to me also, dumbass!"

"Why, you little-"

"Kouji, shut up and leave her alone."

Kouji looked at Takuya disbelievingly. "But she-"

"I said knock it off," his friend demanded.

"Whatever...." Kouji angrily walked away.

"Moron," Ami muttered.

"Ami, play nice."

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Yes, Zoe."

Meanwhile, Takuya was rummaging through the pantry to try to find some type of food.

"Hope you guys like ramen," he said. "Because that's all we got by the looks of it."

Zoe held up a jug of water. "Ramen and water, what more could you want?"

"Well, considering that ramen is made with water, I could go for a nice beer right about now," Takuya replied.

"Too bad." Zoe shrugged. "Got no other choice."

Ami was setting an alarm clock. "We must leave no later than five a.m. Any idea where you guys wanna go?"

"Yeah, we're going to head over to the next town for some supplies," Takuya said. "We can pick up food and ammuntion while we're there."

"My brother owns a specialty weapons shop," Kouji added.

Ami smirked. "Hope he's more pleasant than you."

Takuya laughed. "His brother is cool. A lot cooler than Kouji."

"Hey!"

While Kouji, Takuya, and Ami began to bicker once again, Zoe sighed. She sank down on one of the beds, curling herself into a ball. Not even waiting for the food to finish cooking, she decided to let herself drift into sleep. _I hope my father is okay.... _

Within a few minutes she had passed out from her stressful day. While Kouji and Ami continued to glared daggers at each other, Takuya made his way over to Zoe. He pulled the covers over her and sighed.

"Sleep tight. You'll need it for what's in store for us."

_Meanwhile_

"Foolish brother. Did you really think you could trick me that pathetic decoy?"

The king looked up, blood running down his face in streams. He had been stripped of his crown, his robes, and had been thrown into an unused chamber within the castle.

"I know you're not stupid, Reuben," he said. "But it still bought time, didn't it?"

"Not enough to save that brat of a daughter you have," Reuben shot back. "With the size of my army, we'll find her and her little friends in no time. I'm surprised you didn't think this out better, Malcolm. As soon as I find the princess, she won't live long enough to claim the throne."

Malcolm glared at him, angrily yanking at his restraits. "If you lay a finger on her, I'll-"

"You'll what? Kill me?" Reuben laughed. "I don't think you're in any position to be making threats. In fact, you're lucky that I haven't slaughtered any of your subjects yet. Let's see how long that'll last."

"You bastard!" The king yelled. "You won't get away with this! You hear me?"

His brother rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Now, if you don't mind, I have business matters to attend to. I'll be back in a day or so with some bread and water for you."

"Damn you," Malcolm hissed.

"See you later," Reuben mocked. "Try not to venture too far. Wouldn't want to have to gun you down, now would I?"

With that, he slammed the steel door shut, locking it behind him. The king was left alone in the darkness, dreading what would become of his kingdom.

**okay chapter 2 is finally finished. once again, im sorry if this chapter sucked. but i promise the next one will be way more exciting. im still suffering from writer's block but i have a better idea of what im gonna write in the third chapter. so chapter 3 should be out in a few days, okay? ^_^ laterz**


	3. Chapter 3

**sorry for taking so damn long to update. horrible writer's block -_-; the next chapter will probably be out in a week or so, but it might take longer. sorry if it sucks, im having a bit of trouble putting the plot together for some reason. dont think ive ever had such a hard time with a story. but dont worry, once i get the next few chapters out, it'll run more smoothly. well, here is chapter 3.**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 3**

Takuya awoke the next morning with a dull throbbing in his head.

"Ow....what the fuck happened?"

His vision was blurred, but after blinking a few times, it gradually cleared up. To his surprise, he was lying next to Zoe on the bed she had passed out on. His arm was also draped over her.

Zoe, hearing the sound of his voice, stirred awake.

"What are you doing?" She cried, shoving him off.

Takuya crashed to the floor with a thud. "Ow! Sorry, I don't know what happened. I swear."

Zoe looked at him suspiciously. "Why did you fall asleep on my bed?"

"I honestly don't know. All I remember is that Kouji and Ami were arguing. They started throwing shit at each other and I guess I got hit on the head and passed out," he said, rubbing his sore cranium.

The blond glared at Kouji and Ami, who were sleeping on the other beds.

"Kouji," Takuya growled, stalking over to him.

He smacked Kouji upside the head, causing him to snap awake.

"What the hell?" Kouji scowled at him. "What was that for?"

"You knocked me unconscious, you idiot!" Takuya yelled. "Why didn't you and Ami wake me up? I nearly gave Zoe a heart attack when she found me on her bed."

Kouji chuckled. "I was going to, but then I decided that it would be funny to see your reaction in the morning."

Annoyed, Takuya glanced outside. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, an orangy glow peeking through the trees.

"Well, it's time to wake up anyway. Moron," he muttered.

Zoe walked over to Ami, shaking her awake. "Get up. We have to leave soon."

Ami yawned, then noticed the angry expression on Zoe's face. "What's your problem?"

"Why the hell were you and Kouji throwing things at each other? You knocked Takuya out, dammit."

"Blame Kouji. He decided to piss me off," Ami replied. "Plus I was too lazy to heave Takuya off your bed."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "You guys are unbelievable."

Ten minutes later they were geared up and ready to go. Parked outside the tiny cottage were four black motorcycles.

"Here, Kouji." Ami tossed him a pink helmet. "This one's yours."

"What?! I am _not _wearing a pink helmet!" He yelled. "You three get to wear black ones, so I should be able to have one, too."

Ami smirked. "Yeah, but there's only three black ones, moron. So I guess you're shit outta luck."

"You're a girl, so you can wear-"

Before Kouji could finish, Ami had a gun pointed at his forehead. "Don't you _ever_ suggest that I would wear pink. Ever!"

"Uh....I can live with pink."

Takuya and Zoe snickered, glancing at each other.

"Well, let's go then," the brunette said. "Look at it this way, Kouji. You'll stick out like a sore pink thumb."

"Haha. Your jokes are so funny. Idiot....." Kouji rolled his eyes, pulling the helmet over his head. "Let's just go already."

Soon they were roaring through the narrow path in the woods. They somehow managed to avoid being knocked off their bikes by the low branches. A few minutes into the drive, Ami suddenly braked.

"What is it?" Takuya asked, coming to a halt.

"The enemy's nearby," she hissed, getting off her motorcycle. "Stay here."

Kouji frowned. "No way am I gonna be outdone by a girl."

A moment later he was off his bike and following her, much to her annoyance.

"What are you doing, you jackass?" She growled. "I told you stay where you were!"

"Here we go again," Zoe said with a sigh. "I think we might have to kill them before we get to the next town."

"I'll have to agree with you on that one," Takuya replied.

As the bickering pair wandered away, Takuya noticed a movement from the opposite side from them. He quickly grabbed Zoe, shoving her behind his back as he drew his gun.

"Don't move," he warned her. "I think there's someone over there."

Zoe remained silent, a worried frown on her face.

"I knew I'd find you, ya little bitch!" A voice exclaimed. "You weren't hard to find at all!"

A moment later, a tall bearded man stepped out of the shadows. He was carrying a machine gun, and wasted no time at trying to shoot them. Takuya managed to tackle Zoe away from the bullets, firing his own gun. The man's head exploded into a bloody mess as he sank to the ground.

Zoe opened her eyes to see Takuya lying on top of her, his own eyes closed.

"Takuya, are you okay?" She asked, reaching up to his face.

"The bullets....." Takuya's voice trailed off.

Panicking, Zoe tried to push him off. The task seemed impossible, however, as his gear added at least another fifty pounds to his weight.

"The bullets....knocked the wind out of me," Takuya coughed, rolling off of her.

Zoe looked down to see a single bullet pressed into his bullet-proof vest.

"Ow......" Takuya sat up, dislodging it. "That friggen hurt...."

"What's going on?" Kouji asked as he and Ami rushed over to them.

"The enemy came from the opposite of where you two were heading, you idiot!" Takuya yelled.

"Don't blame me. Ami's the one who headed in that direction in the first place," Kouji replied.

Ami glared at him. "Oh, shut up! I didn't tell you to follow me, stupid!"

"Everyone shut up!" Zoe yelled. "Let's just get going before I kill all of you! Now!"

Takuya smirked. "You heard the princess. Let's go."

About a half hour later, they safely came up to the next town. Takuya led them in the direction of Kouichi's shop, ignoring the sounds of the ever-battling Kouji and Ami.

"Shut up!" Takuya and Zoe screamed in unision.

The raven-haired bounty hunters quieted down, though they continued to give each other dirty looks. As they traveled down the road, they noticed that the streets were bare.

"Looks like a damn ghost town," Takuya muttered. "What happened?"

"Everyone is probably hiding. After all, Reuben's army will be heading this way sooner or later." Kouji scanned their surroundings.

Zoe looked around nervously. "Are we almost at your brother's shop?"

"Almost," Kouji replied. "It'll be another few minutes, but I know a short-cut."

Ami snorted. "Yeah, but do we trust you to bring us through your so-called short-cut?"

"Either follow me or navigate your way to my brother's shop on your own," Kouji snapped.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm too tired to argue with you right now anyway. It's draining."

"How do you think I feel? I have to deal with him every day," Takuya remarked with a chuckle.

Kouji glanced at him, annoyed. "Dude, shut up."

The brunette only smiled as they cautiously drove down the deserted road. Houses seemed to be barricaded and almost every store was closed.

"This place gives me the creeps," Zoe whispered.

"Don't worry, Takuya will protect you," Ami teased. "God knows you can't rely on the pain in the ass with the pink helmet."

"I'm warning you-" Kouji began.

"Shut up!" Takuya and Zoe yelled.

The blond sighed. "Are we there yet? Or am I going to have to start smacking people upside the head?"

"No need, we're here," Takuya said as he got off his motorcycle. "We can stock up on ammunition."

Zoe followed him inside, with the other two close behind.

"Hey, it's my two favorite pain in the asses," Kouichi quipped. "And I see that you guys brought along a couple of beautiful ladies."

Zoe and Ami both blushed, much to the annoyance of Takuya and Kouji.

"Kouichi, how much ammunition do you have?" Takuya asked.

Kouichi smirked. "Have I ever let you down?"

Kouji thought for a moment. "Well, there was that one time where-"

"Oh, be quiet," Ami interrupted. "And why didn't you tell me that your brother was so cute?"

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Gee, I dunno. The thought didn't run across my mind."

Takuya walked over to one of the walls, scanning over the large selection of weaponry.

"I like this," he said, picking up a bazooka.

"Good luck carrying that on your back," Zoe quipped. "With the amount of stuff you already have, you're motorcycle won't be able to move from all the weight."

Takuya sighed. "Damn, you're right. I'll take this one instead."

Kouichi looked at it. "Good selection. The same bazooka, only a size smaller."

"I can carry this," the brunette replied.

"So, what do you have that's good?" Kouji asked.

"I can answer that question," Ami teased, winking at his twin.

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Ami, behave. You can get his number on the way out."

Kouji shot her an aggravated look. "Yeah, thanks for the idea."

"Jealous?" Zoe asked.

"No!" He angrily stalked away, examining one of the other walls.

Kouichi looked at Zoe. "First time I've ever met a princess. You're very gorgeous, by the way."

"Aw, thank you," Zoe replied.

Takuya glared daggers at him, steam almost shooting out of his ears. "C'mon, Zoe. What do you think of this?"

The blond was grabbed by the arm and pulled over to a shelf. "What am I looking at?"

"Uh....this!" He picked up a heavy sword.

Zoe looked at it. "Um...it looks heavy....and uh....big....I don't know much about weapons! That's your job."

A moment later, Kouichi snuck behind them and 'accidentally' bumped into them. They were reeling over a small table, their bodies intertwined.

"Kouichi! You're an asshole!" Takuya shouted, trying to get up, only to fall back down.

"Takuya, get your butt out of my face!" Zoe pushed him away.

Kouichi ran to the other side of the room and watched them, amused. "It's for your own good!"

"When I get up, I'm going to kill you for this," Takuya muttered.

"Damn, how long does it take to get your lazy ass up?" Kouji quipped. "You fell onto the floor, not into a net."

"You're just jealous that he didn't push you into Ami," Takuya shot back, helping Zoe up.

Kouji picked up a gun. "Say that again, I dare ya!"

"You know it's true," Zoe added. "Besides, if you shoot at us, I'll send Ami to attack you."

"Wanna bet?" He asked.

Ami hit him on the head with the butt of a rifle, knocking him out. "Oh, was I supposed to wait until he started shooting? My bad."

**okay, that is the end up chapter 3. hope it wasn't too bad. the next chapter will be getting a little more serious, but it was fun to write stupidity in this chapter. well, laterz ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

**okay, after dealing with writer's block i have finally updated this damn story! **

**random person: about friggen time!**

**me: yes, i know i just said that! anyway i hope you enjoy this chapter and keep an eye out for my newest parody 20 Stupid Horror Movie Cliches coming out either tuesday or wednesday. now onto the chapter!**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 4**

"Ow....what happened?" Kouji groggily rubbed the back of his throbbing head.

"Ami knocked you out," Takuya replied nonchalantly, slipping a pistol into his belt. "Get your ass up because we're leaving soon."

Kouji dizzily stood up. "Where are we going?"

"Well, first, we're picking up some food from a friend of Kouichi's. He'll give us enough to last us for a few days, but by then we should already arrive at Oakwood."

"What the hell is Oakwood?" Kouji asked, giving him a funny look.

Takuya grabbed a few extra cartridges. "It's the next town over, so hopefully we'll be a safe distance away from the kingdom. While we're there, we have to look for some new recruits to join forces with us."

Kouji glanced over at Ami, who was busy talking with Zoe. "But how do we know that they'll help us?"

"Because, idiot, the kingdom rules over the area for miles. So that means, if they don't fight back soon, they'll be enslaved like the other town," Takuya replied.

"Whose going to lead them?" Kouji asked incredulously. "You?"

"I'm better at leading than you," Takuya scoffed. "At least I have a sense of leadership."

"Leadership?" Kouji raised an eyebrow. "You can barely lead yourself to the bathroom."

Zoe sighed. "Here we go again. I swear, someone's always fighting..."

"What do you expect?" Ami strapped a knife to her thigh. "They're guys, so they're going to fight over stupid things. I've seen men fight to the death over a damn slice of pizza."

Kouji glared at her. "Oh, like you're so much better. All you do is be a bitch to everyone."

Ami chuckled. "No, only to you. And if you call me a bitch again, my foot goes in your ass."

"Freak," Kouji muttered.

"Alright, let's go," Takuya said. "Kouichi, what's the name of your friend we have to find?"

Kouichi, who was in the middle of sharpening a collection of knives, looked up. "His name is J.P. He lives about fifteen minutes away from here, just keep going straight. There'll be a collapsed building right next door, so you can't miss it. Unless you're an idiot, of course."

"Like your brother," Ami said.

"Exactly," Kouichi replied with a smile. "Bye, ladies. Have a safe trip, and if anyone messes with you, blow their heads off."

The girls blushed. "Bye, Kouichi."

"Okay, let's go." Takuya took Zoe's hand and began to pull her out of the shop.

"Don't even think about dragging me out," Ami growled at Kouji.

"Please, I wouldn't degrade myself," Kouji said, rolling his eyes.

Kouichi chuckled. "You two make a cute couple."

"No we don't!" They shouted.

"Come on!" Takuya and Zoe yelled.

Kouji and Ami walked outside, giving each other dirty looks.

"Shit," Takuya muttered. "Looks like we've got company."

Running down the street were six men, all heavily armed. Most of them were tall and rather bulky, their arms and chests covered in tattoos. Three of them had dirty beards, their long greasy hair falling to their shoulders. The others were more clean-cut, but were no less intimidating.

"Shoot them!" One of them cried, holding his gun into the air.

"Shit!" Takuya quickly ushered the others back inside, slamming the door shut behind them.

Kouichi stood up, holding one of his knives. "What's going on?"

"We've got company," Takuya replied, aiming his machine gun at the door. "If they come in, keep shooting."

The men began to fire their guns at the shop, the bullets shattering the glass windows.

Zoe ducked down behind a counter, but grabbed a nearby rifle.

"Dammit!" Takuya shouted as he, Kouji, and Kouichi moved out of the way.

After a few seconds, they heard a voice from outside.

"Cease fire!"

Ami's eyes narrowed as she crouched down beside Zoe. "What's going on?"

Zoe swallowed. "I can tell you right now that it's not good."

"Surrender the princess, and we'll let the rest of you live!" The deep voice barked.

"If you want her, then you'll have to get through the rest of us!" Takuya shot back, firing his gun out the window.

"Shit!" Another person exclaimed, follow by a thud.

Kouji smirked. "Well, I think you got one."

"Fire!" The first voice commanded.

On that note, more bullets came crashing through the building, destroying shelves and furniture in the process. Takuya and Kouji fired their own weapons out one of the busted windows, while Ami, Kouichi, and Zoe concentrated on the other one.

"Dammit!" Someone from outside cursed. "My leg!"

"Keep it up, guys!" Takuya screamed over the roar of richocheting bullets.

Suddenly Kouji hissed through his teeth, reeling backwards. "Shit!"

Ami rushed over to him, then noticed a tiny trickle of blood seeping from his shoulder. She quickly dragged him off to a corner, yanking the shoulder of of shirt down.

"You're okay," she replied after inspecting it. "It only grazed you."

"Good," Kouji said through gritted teeth.

Zoe changed her target and began to fire her weapon out of the window Takuya had been concentrating on. Wood splintered around them as the bullets continued to demolish their surroundings.

Screams of pain were heard, and the shooting ceased once again. Takuya, however, kept on shooting to be safe. A moment later, he lowered his gun and cautiously made his way to the window.

"Takuya," Zoe whispered nervously. "Be careful."

The brunette nodded, vaguely noticing Kouichi moving behind him to aid his twin.

"You okay?" Kouichi asked.

"I'm fine," Kouji replied, dabbing at his slight wound with a cloth.

Ami glanced at Takuya, a feeling of apprehensiveness coming over her.

Takuya inched his way to the destroyed window, shards of glass crunching beneath his boots. "Stay back."

A bearded man suddenly popped up, firing his gun with a maniacal laugh. Takuya managed to duck down quick enough to avoid being shot at. The man's head exploded in a bloody mess a second later, surprising Takuya.

"What the hell?" He turned his head to see Zoe's rifle raised up.

"Don't worry," she said with a small smile. "I got him."

Takuya shook his head. "Damn, you never fail to amaze me."

Zoe blushed from the comment, dropping her gaze to the floor.

Kouji sighed as his brother pulled him to his feet. "We better get going now, before another group of idiots show up."

"Yeah," Kouichi said with a laugh. "Before they destroy my shop even more."

"Sorry," Takuya apologized. "I'll send you some money later on for the damages."

"Don't bother. None of my weapons were ruined and I have money of my own to repair everything with."

Takuya peeked outside, seeing six dead bodies. "Okay, coast is clear. Now let's move. We go to J.P.'s and then after that we keep moving until we get to Oakwood."

The others nodded in agreement, hurrying out the door.

Kouichi waved after them. "Take care, and keep your eyes peeled. These guys will be everywhere, no matter how fast you travel."

"Later," Kouji called back, the four of them driving off.

"Okay, now keep going straight," Takuya mused to himself. "And look for a crumbling old building."

As they sped down the cracked road, Zoe swallowed a lump in her throat. _I wonder what they've done with my father. I hope he's okay..._

_Meanwhile_

"Come on, get up."

King Malcolm weakly lifted his head, dried blood caked onto his face. "What do you want?"

"I want you to get up," the guard hissed, unlocking the shackles. "Our new and improved king would like to see you."

Malcolm snorted. "New and improved? Hardly."

"Come on!" The man painfully poked him in the back with a sword, ushering him out of the dungeon.

"This is ridiculous," Malcolm muttered. "When is Reuben going to get it through that thick skull of his? He's not going to get away with this."

The blade dug into his back even deeper. "I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you. You're in no position to be making comments like that."

Malcolm rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever you say."

The guard scowled, but remained silent as they made their way to the main room. Reuben was lounging on his brother's velvet throne, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Ah, my brother. I'm so glad that you could make it," he said mockingly.

Malcolm glared at him. "Let me guess. You've failed to track down the princess, so now you're going to try to get information from me, huh?"

Reuben's eye twitched, annoyed that Malcolm knew him so well. "As a matter-of-fact, yes. That's exactly why I brought you here. Now you can either cooperate, or I will painfully force it out of you. Take your pick."

"You'll have to kill me," Malcolm hissed.

Reuben laughed. "Oh, you haven't changed a bit. Putting your life at stake for worthless scum."

"That scum you're referring to is my daughter," he growled. "And if you think she's scum, what does that make you?"

"I wouldn't have said that if I were you." Reuben snapped his fingers.

Malcolm screamed as a blade painfully slashed across his back, shredding his shirt. Blood leaked from his wound, drenching his clothing.

"I'll ask you one last time. Are we going to do this the hard way, or the easy way?" Reuben demanded.

His brother smirked. "As I said, you'll have to kill me."

"Looks like the hard way," Reuben nonchalantly replied.

The sword lashed out again, a new spurt of blood staining the floor crimson.

**well, thats the end of chapter 4. hope you like it ^_^ so let me know what you think and the next chapter is coming soon. **

**random guy: hello! ive come for my audition!**

**me: audition? for what?**

**guy: im trying out for the part of the village idiot! cant you tell by my girly ninja clown laundry basket costume?**

**me: O_O; *looks at the guy who is wearing a pink dress, clown make-up, ninja gear, and a plastic laundry basket hanging from his shoulders with two holes in the bottom for his legs to come out. he also has a bra on his head* uh....i thought takuya was the village idiot but okay. works for me**

**guy: yay! ^_^ now let me get my props**

**me: *watches as guy pulls out a canon, a butterfly wand, a bottle of maple syrup, and a mop* interesting assortment you got there....**

**guy: okay im ready!**

**me: well, while i figure out what the hell this dude is going to do, stay tuned for the next chapter. coming out tomorrow ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**remember the crazy dude auditioning from the last chapter? well, he's still here -_- so dude, you've got yourself a canon, a butterfly wand, a bottle of maple syrup, and a mop.....what the fuck are you gonna do with those?**

**random crazy dude: well, im going to blast myself in the canon, covered in maple syrup. i am then going to slay the dragon with my butterfly wand**

**me: O_O; dragon? dude what are you on?**

random crazy dude: i just escaped from the looney bin, so im messed up on the drugs they tried to sedate me with. and now i see a dragon! back you beast! fear the girly ninja clown wearing the laundry basket! the bra on my head will drain you of all energy!

**me: oooookaaaaay....and what's with the mop?**

random crazy dude: to clean up the maple syrup with. that stuff sucks to clean up!

**me: well, i gotta agree with you on that. anyway, enjoy this chapter and see the moron blast himself from the canon in the next one**

**Falling from Grace **

**Chapter 5**

Reuben sighed, as if he were exhausted. Before him was the bloodied body of his deceased older brother.

"Such a shame," he said with a faint smirk. "I'll just have to get information from someone else."

Two guards began to heave the dead king's body into a large sack. They groaned as they struggled to stuff him in, eventually achieving their task.

"Where would you like this?" One of them asked.

"Just throw it into the freezer for now. I have plans for his body later," Reuben replied as he took a sip of champagne. "Foolish brother...."

He watched as they dragged the crimson-stained bag away, somewhat irritated. Malcolm had not broken down, no matter how horrible they had mutilated him.

"He would've been better off just telling me in the first place," Reuben muttered to himself.

_Then again, I would've killed him anyway._

He looked at another guard. "Any leads on the princess or bounty hunters?"

"None yet," the guard said. "We're still looking."

"Well, look harder!" Reuben barked. "Comb through the fucking woods and every possible area they could be in. When you find the princess, bring her to me alive. However, if you must kill her, then do so."

The guard nodded in understanding. "And the bountry hunters?"

"If you can get the princess unnoticed, then just get the hell out of there. But if the hunters put up a fight, dispose of them," Reuben growled. "As I said, I prefer for the princess to be brought to me alive."

"Understood," the man replied. "We'll find her soon enough."

Reuben snorted, adjusting his dead brother's crown on his head. "I should hope so. If not, there'll be hell to pay."

_Meanwhile_

"Okay, this should last you guys awhile."

Takuya looked up at Kouichi's friend, J.P. "Thanks. I owe you."

J.P. chuckled. "No need. If I could get away from the area, I would. But I have a wife and kids and can't risk getting caught."

"We understand," Kouji said.

Ami glanced outside. "Do you know how long it'll take us to get to Oakwood?"

J.P. thought for a moment. "Well, if you were on foot, it would take about a week, if not more. But since you have access to motorcycles, I'd say about two days if you only stop to sleep and take short breaks."

Takuya fastened a sack onto the back of his motorcycle. "Is there anyone up there we should know about?"

"What do you mean?" J.P. asked, somewhat confused.

"Is there anyone we can go to? None of us know anyone from Oakwood and we need to gather recruits. But we have no idea where to start," Takuya explained.

"Well, there is this one guy. Goes by the name of Tommy Himi. Like you, he's also a bounty hunter. He's a bit young, probably a few years below you guys. But damn, can that guy fight. He would know people that could help you," J.P. said.

Zoe looked slightly relieved. "But how do we find him?"

J.P. laughed. "Oh, trust me, it won't be that hard. His name is all over town."

Takuya shrugged. "Alright, if you say so. Well, come on. We better head out."

"Take care," J.P. said, giving them a quick nod.

"Thank you," Takuya replied as he hopped onto his motorcycle. "And make sure you keep your family safe."

J.P. chuckled. "Why do you think I have Old Betsy?"

Kouji frowned. "Old Betsy?"

"Yep, my trusty sidekick," J.P. replied, proudly holding up a double-barrel shotgun.

"Know not to screw with you," Kouji muttered.

The four of them took off, their engines roaring down the street. Dust and dirt billowed around them in a cloud, seeming to follow them.

"Stupid dirt," Takuya complained, grateful for the faceshields of their helmets. "Can hardly see....."

They continued to drive, the wind picking up with each passing moment.

"What's with the wind?" Zoe asked, somewhat annoyed. "Why's it starting up all of a sudden?"

"I have no idea!" Takuya shouted. "Figures that it would be crappy out."

Ami's bike skidded in a patch of dirt. "Shit!"

"You okay?" Zoe slowed down a bit, making sure Ami steadied herself.

"Yeah, I'm good," her raven-haired friend said. "But there's so much friggen dirt, we're going to have to slow down."

Kouji sighed. "We can't slow down. They'll catch us."

"It's either slow down or kill yourself," Ami shot back. "Take your pick."

"She's right, Kouji." Takuya steered his motorcycle off to the side as they approached the path leading to the woods. "Besides, we're going to have to watch our speed as we navigate through the woods. We're screwed if we catch ourselves on tree roots and shit like that."

"At least the wind will be less harsh once we're in the wooded area," Zoe added. "And hopefully Reuben's morons will get lost searching in an area like this."

Kouji groaned, but relented. "Okay, but we need to keep a lookout."

Takuya rolled his eyes as he got onto the narrow path. "Yes, we know. Now quit whining and pay attention."

Zoe followed Takuya, Ami close behind. Kouji was last, mumbling under his breath.

"Damn, don't you ever stop complaining?" Ami teased.

Takuya snorted. "Ha, yeah right. Kouji was put on this earth just to be a pain in my ass."

"What?!" Kouji was fuming, yet managed to remain calm enough to pay attention to his surroundings. "I'm going to kill you guys later."

"You and everyone else," Takuya quipped.

Zoe's green eyes stared straight ahead, keeping her guard up. Even if their enemies had not made it this far yet, the forest could be a treacherous place.

"Careful guys," Zoe warned.

However, the other three continued to bicker.

"You think you're so great, don't you?" Kouji snapped at Ami. "Thinking you're all high and mighty just because you're the king's favorite little brat."

"You asshole!" Ami exclaimed. "You don't know the first thing about me!"

The path was slightly bumpy from tree roots and fallen branches, while leaves and thorns hung dangerously low above their heads.

"Oh, is that right?" Kouji stopped his motorcycle, the others following suit. "Well, pardon me."

"You're a jerk, you know that?!" Ami's sapphire eyes looked almost black. "Just because I've known the king all my life, it doesn't mean I get special treatment!"

"Yeah, Kouji. Knock it the hell off, already. We can't be stopping like this," Takuya pointed out. "It's not safe."

While they argued, a slight movement caught Zoe's attention.

"Guys."

"I've had it with all this drama!" Kouji exclaimed. "Just leave me the hell alone for the rest of the trip. Then once your precious little kingdom is safe, we can all get on with our lives."

Ami glared at him, her hands tightly clenched into fists. "Fine with me."

"Both of you guys, stop bitching," Takuya groaned. "You're giving me a damn headache."

Zoe grabbed a pistol from out of her coat pocket, aiming it into the direction she had been staring at.

"Guys, shut up!" She said in a loud whisper.

They quieted down, taking out their own weapons.

"What is it?" Takuya asked, pointing his machine gun in the same direction.

"I saw something move. It was probably just an animal, but I want to make sure," Zoe replied, cautiously stepping forward.

Takuya grabbed her arm, pulling her back. He tugged her a little harder then he expected, sending Zoe to fall backward. Takuya quickly caught her, securely wrapping his arm around her waist.

"It's too dangerous," he said. "Stay behind me."

Zoe blushed, gently removing herself from his grasp. "Fine, if you insist."

The brunette slowly walked forward, branches snapping and leaves crunching under his feet. He could faintly hear the movement Zoe had been referring to, and saw a bush shake.

"You have five seconds to come out," Takuya said. "Or I'll shoot."

"Idiot, if there's someone hiding, they're not going to come out." Kouji rolled his eyes.

"It may be stupid, but I can't take the risk when it comes to Zoe. I'd rather look like an a moron than to lower my guard. Even if it's only for a brief second," Takuya replied as he inched his way closer.

Zoe remained silent as she followed, the pistol shaking in her hands.

Ami glanced at Kouji. "He has a point, you know. Just roll with it for now."

"Yeah, whatever," he said tiredly, aiming his gun carefully.

Just then, something lunged out from behind the bush.

"Shit!" Takuya exclaimed as shots rang out.

**oh, the dreaded cliffhanger. so i got a few more death threats on my head, what else is new? and yes, koujis having a little hissy fit, but it wont last too long. and the king is dead so now that asshole is officially in charge, which really sucks! also i wont be around tomorrow (or monday, whatever you wanna call it) and wont be back until tuesday. so the next chapter wont be out until tuesday night or wednesday morning. sorry ^_^; but on the brightside, so will be the first chapter of 20 Stupid Horror Movie Cliches. so now hopefully you have something to look forward to. well, see you tuesday night and ill review stories that have been updated too. bye bye! ^_^**


	6. Chapter 6

**okay im back from my night of drinking**

**takuya: damn, you're such an alcoholic**

**me: no, alcoholics admit that they have a problem. i am merely a drunk and am happily oblivious to my surroundings ^_^**

**takuya: -_-;**

**me: well, onto the story**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 6**

Zoe clung onto Takuya's arm once he had stopped shooting. On the ground lay a dead coyote, its body covered in bloody holes.

"Holy crap." Zoe sighed in relief, resting her head against his shoulder. "Thank god it was only a coyote and not one of Reuben's guards. Still sucks for the coyote, though."

Takuya slipped his pistol back into his belt. "Better safe than sorry."

Kouji and Ami both lowered their guns as well, staring at the unmoving carcass.

"Anyone hungry?" Kouji quipped.

"Yeah, coyotes make an awesome stew," Takuya sarcastically replied as he rolled his eyes.

Zoe realized that she was still clinging onto Takuya and quickly released him. With her face red from embarrassment, she began to walk over to Ami.

"Can't keep your hands off of him, I see." Ami smirked. "Can't blame you, though. I mean, look at him."

"Shut up," Zoe hissed. "I don't like him like that. I see him as a friend and that's it."

Ami snorted, watching as Takuya and Kouji continued to search the area a bit more. "Yeah, and I think Kouji's the greatest guy in the world. Ha, yeah right. Maybe when pigs fly."

"Area's all clear!" Takuya shouted over to them. "For now at least."

Kouji sighed as they walked back over to the girls. "No more stopping, okay?"

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been such an asshole to me, I wouldn't have stopped!" Ami growled at him.

"Okay, that's it." Takuya ran his fingers through his brown hair. "I have had it with your constant bickering. Now shut the hell up or I'll shoot you both in the legs."

"You wouldn't do that," Ami said with a frown. "Would you?"

Takuya smirked, pulling out two of his guns. "Oh, I will. Unless of course you guys make up with each other."

"You're bluffing," Kouji shot back, his sapphire eyes narrowing. "You wouldn't shoot us."

Takuya clicked the safeties off and pointed a gun at each of them. "Wanna bet? Insult each other just one more time. I dare you."

Kouji and Ami nervously exchanged glances, then looked at Zoe questioningly.

"I wouldn't screw with him if I were you," Zoe said with a chuckle. "He seems crazy enough to do it."

"Fine," Ami finally relented, shifting her gaze at Kouji. "We just won't talk to each other."

"Sounds good to me," Kouji replied indifferently.

Takuya smiled, putting his weapons away. "I'm glad to hear that. And if I hear just one little insult from either of you guys, then you'll lose a leg."

"Whatever," Kouji and Ami unanimously mumbled.

"Now that we're on the same page, let's go." Takuya flashed them a smile, then hopped onto his motorcycle.

Zoe got onto hers as well, attempting to start the engine. It sputtered, then went quiet.

"Shit." She tried again, getting the same response.

"Something wrong?" Takuya asked.

Zoe glanced at the gas gauge, finding it more than halfway full. "What the hell?"

Takuya walked over and took a quick look at it. "By the sounds of it, yours ain't going anywhere."

"Dammit...." The blond gave it one last try, then gave up. "Now what am I going to do?"

Ami chuckled. "Looks like you're riding with Takuya."

"Well, you heard her." Takuya grabbed her wrist, a smile on his face. "Now you're stuck with me."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Aren't I lucky?"

"Do you wanna trade helmets with me?" Kouji suddenly asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Sorry, no can do." Zoe climbed onto the back of Takuya's bike, pulling her own helmet down over her head.

Kouji cursed under his breath, then pulled his on as well.

Ami started her engine, revving it a few times. "You guys ready?"

"Yup," Kouji replied sullenly.

"Me too," Takuya added. "You ready, Zoe?"

The blond wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yeah, now hopefully I won't fall off...."

"Oh, I'm not that bad." With that, Takuya began speeding through the woods, a frightened princess tightly clinging onto him for dear life.

"Slow down! You'll kill us!" She cried out.

Ami and Kouji both laughed, taking off after them.

Zoe rested her head between Takuya's shoulder blades, her eyes fused shut.

"You okay?" Takuya playfully asked, casting a quick glance behind him.

"Just great," she said in a mocking tone.

"Good, because the path is getting clearer and smoother. So that means I get to go faster!"

Zoe screamed as he added another ten miles per hour to his speed. "If we survive, I'll kill you myself!"

"Get in line, Princess!" He said loudly enough for her to hear over the roar of the wind.

Kouji and Ami sped up, exchanging amused glances.

"So, what's it like traveling with him?" Ami shouted over to Kouji, attempting to be nice.

"Like an early grave!" He replied. "I think traveling with him took at least fifteen years off my lifespan!"

Takuya laughed. "I'm not _that_ bad."

_Meanwhile_

Kouichi had already disposed of the six corpses lying in front of his store. They were in a nearby dumpster, their blood quickly filling it. It was not the best place to put them, but he had needed to act quickly. Reuben's army would be arriving into the area any minute now. That is, if they weren't already there.

As he was polishing one of his bazookas, the door banged open. Feigning surprise, he looked at the three armed men standing in the doorway.

"May I help you gentlemen?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

One of them stepped forward, a scowl on his face. "Don't screw around. Have you seen these people?"

Kouichi carefully looked at the four photographs the man held in his hand. "Nope, haven't seen them around here."

"You know who they are, right?" The guard inquired.

"Well, I know that the blond girl is the princess," Kouichi said. "Everyone knows that."

The man held up the picture of Kouji. "Don't tell me that you don't know who the hell this guy is. He looks just like you, so don't give me any bullshit about not knowing who he is."

Kouichi sighed. "Yes, that is my brother. Sadly, we have grown apart and I have not seen him almost three years. Why are you looking for them?"

"That doesn't concern you," the guard snapped. "But you haven't seen them?"

"No, I haven't seen anyone around lately. Business has been dead for the past week or so," Kouichi replied. "But if I see them, I'll be sure to report them."

"I should hope so," he replied icily.

When Kouichi looked up, he noticed that one of the other two guards was missing. Where had he gone?

"Sir!"

As if on cue, the man rushed back into the shop. "I was investigating the area and found six corpses in the dumpster!"

_Shit!_ Kouji had to think fast.

"You did?" He asked, his blue eyes wide with shock. "This can't be right! No one's been in the area for weeks, and I would've known something about that."

"The bodies are still relatively fresh," the guard informed his captain. "You might want to check it out."

The commanding officer smirked at Kouichi. "No one in the area, eh?"

"I want to see this for myself," Kouichi said as he rushed outside.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Kouichi saw the bloodied dumpster, its top removed and showing its contents.

"Holy shit!" He reeled over, gagging over the metallice scent of the blood.

"Are you _sure_ you don't know anything about this? Because I highly doubt that," the commanding officer hissed.

Kouichi glared at him. "Sir, I can assure you that I had no clue this was even here. How do you think I feel? Finding six damn corpses in my dumpster for fuck's sake?!"

"Yes, well. Nothing we can do about it now." The man smirked. "Be sure to contact us if you discover any information later."

"I'll be sure to do so," Kouichi replied, still gagging.

The three guards took off, leaving Kouichi alone next to the dumpster. When they were a safe distance away, he chuckled to himself.

"Reuben's guards are even bigger idiots than I thought...."

**yay, another chapter is done. and yes they are idiots, arent they? **


	7. Chapter 7

**okay, here is the next chapter to the story. takuya's not around to bother me, so i can just get right to the-**

**takuya: *pops out of nowhere* hi! how's it going?**

**me: damn, can you go five minutes without following me and annoying me?**

**takuya: well, i was going to bother kouji, but then i found out that he put a restraining order against me. by the way, what happened to that crazy ninja clown dude?**

**me: i dunno. he just ran off all of a sudden. i have a feeling that he'll be back though.**

**takuya: uh, can i introduce the chapter?**

**me: why?**

**takuya: cuz i never get to, thats why! please? just this once?**

**me: can i have five dollars?**

**takuya: *hands me five bucks* i now present chapter 7! enjoy!**

**me: and im five dollars richer ^_^ i need to start charging more....**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 7**

"Pit stop." Takuya pulled his motorcycle over.

Zoe released the breath that she had been holding in for the past hour. "For what?"

"Bathroom," he replied, walking off to the side.

"Good idea," Kouji added.

Zoe and Ami exchanged glances.

"You guys better go deep enough where we can't see you!" Ami called after them.

"We will!" Takuya shouted back.

"You gotta go?" Zoe asked.

Ami rolled her eyes. "No, thank god. I am _not_ going in the woods."

"Same here," the blond said.

Two minutes later, the guys emerged.

"Well, we're not near the next town yet, but there should be a rest stop within a half hour or so," Takuya told them. "We'll probably be out of the woods in about twenty minutes."

"Good, I'm getting sick of looking at trees," Ami muttered. "And rocks....and grass.....and logs...and bushes.....and more trees...."

"I'll bet," Kouji quipped.

Takuya cast an annoyed glance at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm kidding," Kouji said, holding his hands up in surrender. "It was only a joke, jeez...."

"Just watch yourself," Ami warned. "Getting shot in the leg will be worth it if my foot goes in your ass."

"I will already. Calm down...."

Takuya rubbed his sore bottom. "Speaking of asses, this friggen seat is making mine sore."

Zoe blushed, her green eyes quickly scanning over his butt. She immediately tore her gaze away.

"Well, let's get going." Takuya sat down in front of her, starting the engine once again.

Five seconds later, they were speeding through the forest again. Hopefully this time around, there wouldn't be any problems.

_Meanwhile_

"I knew it!" Reuben slammed his fist into the table. "They've already gone through the damn town."

One of his guards, Akira, nodded his head. "Yes, I was just informed by the others about the bodies a few minutes ago. I came here as soon as I found out."

"Yes, I realize that," Reuben replied, giving him an annoyed look. "By the looks of it, they're headed for the next town."

"Oakwood, right?" Akira asked.

"Yes, you twit." Reuben rolled his eyes. "I have the army taking the roads to Oakwood. They should get there within three days or so."

Akira frowned. "Is it really that far away?"

"Yes, it is. We could take the woods, but we don't know the quickest way to get through. So for now, we'll stick to the streets."

"What are you going to do in the meantime?" Akira asked.

Reuben sighed. "I will by doing my kingly duties, such as enforcing my new laws."

"What are they?" Akira asked, his eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"I'm still in the process of writing them up," Reuben growled. "Spread the word that Malcolm is dead and that I am the new king. Now go away. I wish to be alone."

"Yes, Your Highness." Akira bowed, then hurried away.

Reuben groaned, rubbing his throbbing temples. "Imbeciles...."

They should've caught up with the princess by now, dammit! What were they doing wrong?

_The bounty hunters had a head start, moron. Why else would they be so far ahead? _He chastised himself.

"I don't care," he muttered quietly as he poured a glass of whiskey. "I'll find that bitch if it's the last thing I ever do."

"Sir?"

"What now?!" He looked up angrily to see Akira hurrying over. "This had better be good!"

Akira stopped, wiping the black hair off his sweaty forehead. "We have a witness who claims that he spotted the bounty hunters."

Reuben straightened up in his seat, excited. "Excellent. Where is he?

"Oh." Akira paused. "Well, we didn't actually bring him here. He told the troops and they called me so I could let you know."

"Well, are you planning on bringing him here for interrogation?" Reuben demanded.

"Um...no. They just left him alone," the guard replied.

Reuben hurled his glass at the wall, shattering it. "Idiots! Can't you fucking morons do anything right?!"

"Sorry, sir!" Akira slowly backed away. "I can call them back to bring the man here."

"He's probably gone by now!" Reuben shot back. "Damn, do I have do everything myself?!"

Akira remained silent, nervously shifting his eyes in every direction but Reuben's.

"Just find the hunters and princess," his boss hissed. "Or else."

"Yes, Your Highness." Akira bowed, then ran out of the room once again.

Reuben slowly calmed his breathing, pouring himself a fresh glass of whiskey. He downed it one gulp, wincing slightly as it burned its way down his throat. Once it was emptied, he squeezed the glass goblet. It cracked in his hands and splinted into his bare fingers. He ignored the blood seeping from the small cuts, only staring at the table.

_We'll find them. I don't care how long it takes,_ he angrily thought to himself. _We'll hunt them down and kill them each one by one...._

_Meanwhile_

Takuya, Kouji, and Ami pulled over after finally arriving at the rest stop. Ami pulled a dazed Zoe off of Takuya's motorcyle, dragging her into the bathroom with her.

"Come on. Let's wake you up," Ami said cheerfully.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Zoe replied.

The blond slumped over a sink, turning the faucet on. She splashed ice cold water into her face in an attempt to wake herself up. It did a little, but not much.

"I need a friggen coffee." Zoe dried her face with a paper towel. "And I don't even like coffee."

Ami chuckled. "Have a coke."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "It'll take more than a damn soda to wake me up, too. It sucks, we've only been traveling for a few hours, but it feels like it's been days."

"Well, you have anxiety on top of everything else. Yeah, me and the guys are nervous as hell. But it doesn't compare to what you're feeling. What with the kingdom overrun by your asshole uncle and god know's what happened to your father-"

"Not helping," Zoe interrupted as worry clenched her stomach.

Ami gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "Relax. Everything will work out. You'll see."

Zoe smiled weakly. "I hope you're right."

"Have I ever been wrong?" Ami asked.

"Well, there was that one time where you-"

"No need to mention my mistakes," Ami cut her off.

Two minutes later, they emerged from the restroom. Takuya and Kouji were munching on sandwiches J.P. had made for them.

"Here you go." Takuya handed Zoe and Ami each a sandwich. "Eat quickly, 'cause we gotta go soon."

Ami managed to finish hers fairly quickly, while Zoe blankly stared down at her own sandwich. So far she had only taken one bite. That was all she thought she could keep down.

"Hey." Takuya gently pulled her off to the side. "You okay?"

"Fine," she replied, her eyes cast down.

Takuya tilted her chin up. "Tell me the truth."

Zoe tore her gaze away from his. "What do you think?"

"Look, I know it's difficult. But it has to be done. Do it for your kingdom," Takuya said.

"I want to.....But I don't know if I can." Zoe gave a small humorless laugh. "Who am I kidding? I'm not cut out for this."

Takuya frowned. "What do you mean? Don't tell me that you're giving up."

"Oh, I'm not. I'll try my damn hardest," the blond replied. "I just don't know for how long."

Takuya's expression softened as he watched as she slowly shook, on the verge of tears. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest.

"It'll be okay," he whispered into her ear. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Kouji and Ami exchanged worried glances, then glared at each other.

"Pain," he muttered.

"Jerk," she hissed.

Takuya's head snapped up. "I heard that! You guys are about to lose a leg!"

"Sorry," Kouji and Ami unanimously grumbled.

"Look at this way," Takuya said to Zoe. "If you need to relieve any stress, you know who to shoot."

"Yeah, Kouji." Ami threw an annoyed glance at him. "He's and idiot."

Kouji's eyes narrowed. "No more of an idiot than you."

"Shut up!" Takuya and Zoe both exclaimed.

"She started it," Kouji mumbled.

"I don't care who started it." Takuya got back onto his motorcycle, Zoe right behind him. "Just shut the hell up and let's go. We're losing precious time."

"Fine." Ami sped off down the road, the other two close behind.

"If we keep our speed up, we should come across an old motel by eleven o'clock tonight!" Takuya shouted over the roar of the engines and wind. "We can sleep there tonight, but one of us will have to stay awake and keep a lookout!"

Kouji quickly scanned the surroundings, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "You, me, and Ami can take shifts!"

Zoe frowned. "Wait a minute. What about me? I can take a shift!"

Ami chuckled. "Not gonna happen."

"Yeah, did you really think that we were gonna make you stay up and watch? You need sleep," Takuya said.

"I don't want to feel useless," Zoe retorted. "What am I supposed to do? Just sit and watch you guys do everything? No, I'm taking a turn whether you like it or not!"

Takuya laughed. "Persistent, aren't we? Okay, maybe a short shift for you, but that's it. Take it or leave it."

Zoe sighed. "I'll take it."

"Keep in mind, we still have a long day ahead of us," Kouji added.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock!" Ami quipped.

"In one minute, I'm going to run you off the road!" He shouted back.

Takuya groaned in aggrivation. "In one minute, my foot goes up both of your asses! Now shut the fuck up and drive!"

**okay, i decided to end it here. if you no likey, well sorry too bad. chapter 8 is coming soon....okay thats all ive got to say. now go review or something.....takuya, go away!**

**takuya: awww....... *leaves***


	8. Chapter 8

**alright, sorry for the late update. I couldnt access the damn document manager yesterday, so it kinda fucked everything up for me. oh well, here is chapter 8, so hopefully it doesnt suck!**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 8**

By now the ominous empty roads were nearly pitch black, the only light coming from the illuminating moon. Takuya sighed in relief as he saw the flickering sign of the motel.

"Thank god," Ami groaned. "I was beginning to get creeped out."

"Well, we still made good timing," Takuya said. "It's ten o'clock, an hour earlier than we expected to get here."

Kouji frowned slightly. "I'm surprised that there's even someone at the motel. Damn building must be ancient."

Ami rolled her eyes. "Ten years doesn't count as ancient."

Before Kouji could respond, Takuya cut in. "I'm not in the mood to hear you guys bitch. Just come on."

The three of them pulled into the small parking lot, then shut the engines off. Zoe stirred as Takuya got off his motorcycle, then tiredly pulled her helmet off.

"We're here?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. "Can't believe I fell asleep....."

"Don't worry about it," Takuya said. "Let's just get inside and checked in so you can get back to sleep."

He helped her get off, then gently took her hand. As he led her inside, Ami and Kouji snickered.

"What?" He asked, annoyed.

"Can't keep your hands off of her, eh?" Kouji gave him an amused smirk.

Zoe sighed. "Shut up. I feel like I'm gonna collapse so cut me a break."

Despite the run-down appearance of the outside of the building, it was rather nice once they entered the checking area. Lush red carpets covered the floors, with cream-colored walls and mahogany furniture adding to the pleasant interior. A small crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling of the small room, glittering from the lights. A middle-aged man sat behind the counter, his face concentrated on the newspaper he was reading.

"Excuse me?" Takuya walked up to the counter, pulling out a thick wad of bills.

Surprised, the man looked up and lowered his paper. He had light brown hair and thin spectacles over his tired hazel eyes.

"May I help you?" He asked.

"Yes, I'd like to rent a room," Takuya said. "Do you have any with four beds in them?"

The man frowned. "No, there's only one or two beds to a room. Four would be too crowded. Might I suggest that you rent two rooms?"

Takuya shook his head. "No, we need to be together at all times. For safety purposes."

Confused, the man stared at him, then quickly scanned his eyes over the others. The moment he saw Zoe, he gasped in shock.

"Y-you're the princess," he said in disbelief. "What are you doing all the way in this area?"

Kouji snorted. "What, do you not know what's going on? Some asshole took over the damn kingdom, so now we're on the run."

"No, it's just that I didn't expect to see her around here. I've never been around royalty before," he said excitedly. "I'd be happy to put all of you up for the night, free of charge."

Takuya raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course I am." The man began to rummage for room keys. "Well, I don't have any rooms with four beds, but I have something that might suit you. I have two rooms, each with two queen-sized beds. They have an adjoining door, so although you won't technically be in the same room, you'll be together for the most part."

The brunette thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, that works. Thank you."

"The pleasure's all mine," the man replied. "By the way, I'm George."

Ami looked around. "Is there anyone else around?"

George sighed. "No, everyone checked out two days ago, when word spread that the king's brother took over the castle. Everyone fled back home, and I haven't seen anyone since."

"Maybe it's better that way," Takuya said. "For now at least. The less people who know we're here, the better."

"I agree." George stepped out from behind the counter. "Right this way please."

The four of them followed him down the brightly lit corrider, their steps softly echoing off the walls.

"Okay, Rooms 100 and 102," George said, unlocking Room 100.

"What happened to 101?" Kouji asked.

Ami chuckled. "Opposite side, idiot. Evens on the left side, odds on the right. That's how the set-up usually is."

"Well, pardon me." Kouji rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," Takuya and Zoe said in unision.

George opened the door, pushing it in. "Each room has two beds, a nightstand, a mini-fridge, and a television set. Though I doubt you really care about t.v. at a time like this. They also each have their own bathrooms."

"Good, now we won't be stuck waiting for each other to hurry up," Ami said.

She and the others walked in, setting their gear onto the floor.

"If there's anything you need, there's a phone you can call me on that connects to the front desk. You know, in case you need extra towels and stuff like that," George said.

"Thanks." Takuya pulled out a hundred dollar bill. "I know you don't want anything, but please. Take this."

George hesitated, then shook his head. "No, I-"

"Take it." Takuya thrust it out. "You helping us puts you at a slight risk. We're way ahead of Reuben's army, but I'm still grateful for your help."

George sighed, reluctantly taking the bill. "Okay. I don't have much food, as it isn't included with the services, but there's still a bit I can spare if you guys get hungry."

"No, we have food," Kouji replied. "But thanks anyway."

"Well, I better let you guys sleep. I'm sure you have a long day ahead of you." With that, George left them alone.

Zoe flopped down onto one of the beds, rubbing her temples. "That was nice of him."

"Yeah, no kidding." Ami sat down on the other one. "Zoe and I will take this room, as I doubt that you'll have any luck moving her."

"That's fine," Takuya said, opening the door that led to the other room. "Keep this door open at all times. If you need to change, go in the bathroom."

"Sir, yes sir," Ami replied with a smirk. "Either way, I'm taking a shower. I'll head to bed after that."

Takuya glanced out one of the windows for a moment, then lowered the shades. "I'll take the first shift."

"I'll take the one after that," Zoe chimed in. "And don't you dare say 'no'."

"Like I have a choice," Takuya said with a laugh.

Five minutes later, Ami was busy in the shower, while Takuya and Kouji were finishing up with removing their gear. Zoe sighed, idly flicking through the channels on the t.v., not really paying attention to what was on. Her mind was elsewhere, and as exhausted as she was, there was a feeling of apprehensiveness keeping her alert.

"Anything good on?"

Surprised, the princess looked up to see Takuya standing in the doorway.

"Good question," Zoe replied monotonely. "I think I'm only doing this out of nervousness."

Takuya sighed, sitting beside her on the bed. "This is probably stupid advice and all, but you should still try to calm down a bit. I know that it seems impossible, but you'll make yourself sick if you don't."

"No, I understand what you're getting at. But it's difficult to shake off that anxious feeling so quickly," she said quietly.

"Well, try to get some sleep. I'll wake you in two hours." Takuya stood up to leave.

"Wait a minute."

Takuya paused, taken back. "What's the matter?"

Zoe stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you so much for going through all this trouble for me. It means a lot to me."

The brunette blushed slightly, but smiled at the same time. "Don't mention it."

Slightly embarrassed, the blond pulled away, her face cast down. "Well, I better shut this t.v. off."

Just as she was about to turn the power off, the program changed.

Takuya frowned. "What the hell?"

He walked up beside her to see what was going on. Suddenly, the picture cleared up, showing the taunting face of Reuben.

Zoe jumped back in shock, her breath catching in her throat. "Shit...."

"What the fuck is he doing on t.v.?" Takuya asked. "Especially at this hour?"

"Fellow viewers, I would like to make an important announcement," Reuben's cold voice hissed.

The blond felt her heart sink and her knees weaken. What was he up to?

"I just wanted to let everyone know something about my pathetic brother, your beloved King Malcolm," Reuben continued.

"Oh, shit," Takuya hissed, knowing what he was getting at.

Reuben chuckled. "He is no longer king, as I have taken the liberty of replacing him once and for all. My brother, Malcolm, is dead. But don't worry, I will be more of a king than he ever was."

Takuya quickly pressed the power button, shutting the t.v. off. A moment later, he turned to face Zoe.

The princess stood there in shock, tears welling in her emerald eyes. Her pounding heart seemed to stop, and she couldnt't breath. Her father was dead.

"Zoe, I-"

Before Takuya could finish what he was saying, Zoe's legs gave out. She was about to crash to the floor, only to be caught by Takuya at the last second. He cradled her in his arms, softly stroking her long silky hair. She was shaking and could no longer keep her tears at bay. They ran down her face in twin rivers and choked sobs shook her body even harder.

"It's okay," Takuya whispered into her ear. "We'll get through this."

Zoe clung onto him, her tears dampening his thin black t-shirt. Kouji entered the room in confusion, just as Ami emerged from the bathroom. They exchanged nervous glances, then returned their attention back to Takuya and Zoe.

Takuya sighed, then shook his head. "He's gone."

Ami sank to her knees, feeling as though she had the wind knocked out of her. Kouji walked over to her and knelt beside her, giving her hesitant, yet reassuring pats on the shoulder.

Takuya continued to hold Zoe tight as she cried into his chest for the next ten minutes. The sobs eventually subsided and the blond went limp in his arms. He looked down at the sleeping princess, then gently laid her down on her bed. He sat beside her, making sure he would be there when she woke up.

**okay im done with this chapter. hope it wasnt too bad, so let me know what you think. and yes, i loaded this chapter with takumi moments and im damn proud of it too! well, hopefully the next chapter comes out tomorrow so see ya ^_^**


	9. Chapter 9

**okay, i just finished this chapter ^_^ thanks for being so patient. enjoy!**

**dislaimer: i do not own digimon....dammit....**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 9**

Two hours had passed, yet Takuya was reluctant to wake Zoe up. She looked so peaceful in her slumber, and he did not want to disturb her, especially after the horrifying news about her father.

"I'll just wait a bit longer," he whispered to himself.

His dark eyes kept scanning to the shaded window, where there was a small opening for him to see outside. So far there was nothing out of the ordinary, yet he was no less paranoid. A pistol was on the bed beside his leg, ready to be fired if he needed it.

Just then, Zoe moaned and shifted in sleep. She was pressed up against Takuya, her head resting near his hip.

"Oh, shit." Takuya tried to keep himself preoccupied, doing whatever he could to concentrate on something else.

Ami sat up in the next bed, yawning slightly. "Hey, if you want, I can take over now."

Takuya shook his head. "Nah, go back to sleep. I'll be okay for at least another hour or so."

The raven-haired girl glanced at Zoe. "I can see why you don't want to wake her, but she'll be pissed if you don't."

"I know, but I can't bring myself to do it," Takuya said with a sigh. "As I said, I'll wait an hour and see how it goes."

Ami shrugged. "Alright. But if you feel yourself falling asleep, wake me or Kouji up."

Takuya smirked. "Wow, first time I think you've said his name."

"Yeah, well. I don't feel like getting shot at friggen midnight. I'll go back to calling him a moron in the morning." With that, she rolled onto her side and fell back asleep.

The brunette's eyes felt heavy, but he refused to let himself fall asleep.

"Stay awake," he softly muttered to himself. "Stay awake for another fucking hour...."

Zoe shifted again, only this time she woke up. She groggily looked up to see a figure sitting beside her. Surprised, she bolted up with terrified green eyes.

"Shhh, it's me." Takuya put his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down."

The blond sighed in relief. "Oh, it's only you. For a minute I thought it was....well, you know."

Takuya chuckled. "No, I'd kill him before he comes within five hundred feet of you."

"What are you doing in here?" Zoe asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Takuya said sheepishly, pretending to examine his gun.

"Thanks. By the way, what time is it?" She glanced at the clock on the cable box, then frowned. "Hey, you were supposed to wake me up like ten minutes ago."

Takuya ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, I didn't want to disturb you. Not after what happened. So if you wanna kick me in the butt, go ahead."

"No, it's alright," Zoe replied. "But go to sleep. I'll wake Ami in two hours when her shift begins."

"You know you don't have to," Takuya told her, dropping his pistol back onto the bed.

Zoe shook her head, her eyes cast down. "No, I do. So shut up and get some sleep. Can't have one of my body guards passing out while he's driving."

Takuya snorted. "Hey, I could be worse."

"Get to bed," the blond said. "Before I shoot you with your own damn gun."

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going," he muttered. "Don't hesitate to wake me if you need something."

She watched as he made his way into the other bedroom, keeping the adjoining door open. When he was gone, she sighed and glanced out the window. By the looks of it, there was nothing suspicious.

Zoe looked down on the bed and realized that Takuya had left his pistol on the covers. Instead of returning it to him right away, she decided to pick it up. She slowly spun it in her hands, feeling the cold metal against her warm skin. The weight of it felt good in her hands, and she could almost picture herself shooting Reuben with it....

_Meanwhile_

"Akira! Akira, get your ass in here, right now!"

The sleepy guard stumbled into the room, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "Yes, Your Highness?"

Reuben was pacing around, a stack of papers in his hands. "I want part of my army to go around and pass these out."

"What are they?" Akira took the papers from him, his eyes quickly skimming over them.

"My new laws, of course." Reuben smirked. "I would like everyone in the town to receive one and sign at the bottom. Their signature will ensure that they will be loyal to me. If anyone shows even a hint of reluctance, shoot them. You don't necessarily have to kill them, as I'm sure the first shot will be their wake-up call. However, if they continue to show disobedience, kill them."

Akira looked surprised, but immediately composed himself. "Uh, do you want these to be passed out right now? At this hour?"

"I don't care what time it is. Send some of the guards out to pass these out as soon as possible. Hopefully the maggots we call citizens will get the point across and know that I'm serious about everything," Reuben growled. "Now go!"

"Yes, sir." Akira bowed, then hurried off.

Reuben sank down into his throne, a satisfied grin on his face. "They'll be eating out of the palm of my hand soon enough. Especially after I start to cut supplies and fuel down."

He heard several guards rushing out of the kingdom, all armed with pistols and contracts.

_Well, better get some sleep,_ he thought to himself. _I'll need my energy in the morning when I start my reign of terror. The past day has been a_ walk in _the park for them. The real hell is about to begin._

_Back at the motel_

Two hours had passed. So far nothing strange had happened during the night.

Zoe walked over to Ami's bed and nudged the sleeping girl awake. Ami rolled over, then groggily sat up.

"My shift?" She asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Yeah, but if you need more time to sleep, I can cover-"

Ami interrupted her. "Nope. I'm alright. Get some sleep, and I'll wake Kouji up in two hours. Once his shift ends, start packing up again."

Zoe nodded, climbing into her own bed. "Takuya left his gun and I've been holding onto it. I'm sure he won't mind if you hang onto it to."

"I'm actually all set on that department." Ami picked up the machine gun that had been on the floor next to her bed.

"Well, night." The blond flopped down, pulling the covers around herself tightly.

"Night," Ami replied.

After several minutes of tossing and turning, Zoe eventually found herself in comfortable position. Her memories came flowing back as if they had just happened yesterday, and they embedded themselves into her dreams.

_Thirteen years ago_

_Five year-old Zoe was walking through the palace's garden, admiring the lush flower beds. The king trailed behind her, an amused smile on his face as he watched her run through the grass._

_"Wow, daddy! You're so lucky that you have so many flowers!" Zoe said excitedly._

_"They're yours too, you know," he replied._

_Zoe picked up a pink rose. "Yeah, I guess. Daddy, do you think I'll do a good job being queen someday?"_

_Malcolm chuckled, ruffling her blond hair. "I know you will."_

_"I dunno. I don't think I would do a good job."_

_"What makes you say that?" He asked, slightly surprised._

_"Well, Uncle Reuben said that I'm too young to understand how to rule a castle," Zoe said. "This flower's really pretty."_

_Malcolm's eyes narrowed. "Well, you're too young now. But you'll learn as time goes by."_

_The little girl looked up at him with her big green eyes. "How come Uncle Reuben isn't going to be king? He seems to know what to do better than I do."_

_"Well, if I got sick or something, he would fill in for me," Malcolm tried to explain._

_"No! You're a king, so you can't get sick. I think that you'll be king forever," she said happily._

_"Nothing lasts forever, Zoe. You'll see," he told her, running his fingers through his hair, similar to his daughter's color._

_Zoe stared at the flower and smiled. "I think I'm going to give this to Ami when she gets back with her mommy and daddy. When are they coming back?"_

_"They should be back tomorrow," Malcolm said. "In the meantime, you can put that flower in a cup of water."_

_Reuben walked up to them, seeming to be coming out of nowhere. "Malcolm, the servants wanted to ask you a question. Something about furniture?"_

_"Oh, alright. Zoe, you can keep playing in the garden. I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, the king made his way back inside._

_Zoe sighed. "If I ever become queen, I'm going to let the servants do what they want."_

_Reuben raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Why on earth would you do that? That's why there are here. To serve our every needs."_

_"Yeah, but they should get more play time. And I can learn how to do things all by myself," she said._

_"Oh? Is that so?"_

_Zoe nodded, a smile on her face. "Yup. Daddy said that I'll learn someday, just like I'll learn how to be a good queen."_

_Reuben's eyes darkened, though Zoe didn't notice. "Yes, I'm sure."_

_"Well, I'm gonna go put this flower in a cup of water for Ami. Bye Uncle Reuben!"_

_Although she had not seen this as a child, in her dream she could see Reuben's hands angrily clench into fists._

**alright, thats the end of chapter 9. there wont be a ton of flashbacks, but there'll be a few every so often to clear things up. stay tuned for chapter 10, coming soon. and i dont know if i made zoe seem too smart to be a five year-old, but i think i did a decent job of it. its been forever since i was five and i dont hang around many kids, so i kinda just winged it. well, see ya until next time ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

**i have nothing interesting to say, so here is the next chapter**

**disclaimer: i do not own digimon blah blah blah**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 10**

"Hey, time to get up."

Zoe groaned, rolling over in her bed. Was it morning already?

Takuya was taking the time to make sure each of his guns were fully loaded. "Kouji and Ami are already up, but we decided to give you a few extra minutes."

"Stop with the special treatment," Zoe said as she slowly got up. "It makes me feel even worse about everything."

"Oh, it's no big deal. Just hurry up and get dressed. We'll be leaving in about ten minutes."

Zoe glanced at the clock, seeing that it was exactly six a.m. She gathered her clothing, then made her way into the bathroom.

"Kouji, you almost set?" Takuya shrugged his coat on.

"Yeah, just gimme a sec," Kouji muttered. "I'm having trouble opening this damn thing...."

Ami saw Kouji struggling to get the chamber in his pistol to open, in an attempt to fully load it.

"Oh, give me that." She grabbed it from him, then in one quick movement, she had successfullly opened it. "Here ya go, you big strong man."

Kouji turned red with embarrassment. "I loosened it for you in the first place."

Ami snorted. "Yeah right. You just don't wanna admit to the fact that a chick did better than you."

"Nuh-uh!" He shot back.

"Shut up!" Takuya hissed. "Seems like that's all I ever say to you guys. Shut the fuck up."

Kouji and Ami glared at each other, but both remained silent as they finished packing. Zoe emerged from the bathroom, pulling on a coat.

"I'm all set," she said.

"Good. Let's check out and get going. We should be in Oakwood by tomorrow afternoon, so just one more long-ass day of traveling," Takuya told them. "I don't know if we'll be lucky enough to come across another motel, but we'll see what happens."

"Ask George," Ami suggested. "He might know."

Takuya grabbed both of the room keys, then opened one of the doors. "Yeah, we'll see. Let's go."

The four of them walked down the carpeted hallway, nervously looking around in their paranoia. A moment later, they arrived at the main lobby where George was sitting behind the counter with a dour expression on his face.

"Morning," he said. "Did you guys sleep okay?"

"Yeah, we did." Takuya set the two sets of keys on the counter. "Something wrong?"

George cast a sympathetic glance at Zoe, then looked down.

"We heard," Zoe said tiredly.

"I'm really sorry for your loss." George pulled his glasses off and began to wipe them with a cloth. "He was a great ruler."

Zoe gave him a weak smile. "Thank you."

Takuya took her hand, squeezing it softly. "We better get going now. The sooner the better. Thanks for all your help, George."

George nodded. "My pleasure. Come back anytime."

"Oh, wait." Ami turned to him. "We won't get to the next town until tomorrow. Do you know if there are any other motels or inns along the way?"

The man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "None that I can remember, really. I know that there is this one kinda far away, but that was closed over a decade ago. Sorry guys."

"Well, thanks anyway," Ami said.

They made their way out of the building, cautiously looking around to make sure no one had shown up. The area looked just as deserted as it had been the night before. Although it was still somewhat dark out, the sun was gradually making its way up the horizon.

Takuya yawned, pulling his helmet on. Zoe followed suit, as did the others. Seconds later, they were speeding down the dreary road in pursuit of Oakwood.

"Can't wait till we get there," Ami said with a sigh. "Getting sick and tired of traveling nonstop."

"Yeah, no kidding," Kouji mused.

Takuya glanced back over his shoulder to the blond. "You get enough sleep?"

"Plenty. Did you?" She asked.

"Enough," he replied, increasing his speed. "I'm tempted to just go over a hundred miles per hour...."

Zoe's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare. One of two things will happen. One, I'll lose my grip on you and go flying off, only to land on my head and break my neck. Or two, you'll lose control and slam into a tree, thus killing us both."

Takuya chuckled. "Well, the first one won't happen if you hold on tight enough."

"If it was any tighter, your oxygen would be cut off," she growled.

"Don't worry. We're not gonna crash. In all my years riding one of these things, I've never crashed," Takuya said.

"Well, there was that one time," Kouji chimed in.

Takuya smiled at the memory. "Oh, yeah. Good times."

"What?!" Zoe wrapped her arms around his waist even tighter, burying her face between his shoulder blades.

"Aw, you scared the poor girl," Ami said, shaking her head. "I don't think that now's a good time to traumatize her."

"Ya think?!" Zoe groaned. "Now, I'm no wimp. But no offense, Takuya, but you seem crazy enough to do something stupid."

Takuya glanced back at her again and grinned. "What, like this?"

With that, the front tire escalated off the ground in a wheelie. Zoe screamed, clinging onto the brunette for dear life. Ami and Kouji burst out laughing, shaking their heads at Takuya's stupid antics.

"Well, if she wasn't traumatized before, she is now," Ami said.

"Yeah, no shit," Kouji replied.

_Meanwhile_

Reuben rolled over in his bed, the same bed that had belonged to his brother. Sweat beaded on his brow and trickled down his forehead, dampening the pillow. It was not anxiety, but excitement.

_Calm down,_ he chastised himself. _Rest for a few more hours, then get up and go through the contracts. Most of them should be back soon anyway, so you can look through them to see how many people decided that their lives were worth more than their freedom._

"Get some fucking sleep," he muttered to himself.

_But how can I sleep, knowing that the little bitch is still out there somewhere? I won't have a peaceful slumber until I know that she's good and dead. Same with those damn bounty hunters._

"Patience," he quietly said aloud. "Her time will come."

_But when? The sooner the better,_ he thought_. Damn incompetent armies.....They have already disappointed me with their carelessness. For their sakes, they better not screw up again._

"Fuck...." He wiped his forehead with the back of his callused hand.

Sighing, he glanced over to the nightstand beside the bed. On top of it was a framed photograph of Malcolm and a smiling three year-old Zoe. Besides that was another picture, this one of Malcolm and his late wife, Selene. Reuben knocked them off the stand in disgust, hearing the glass covering the pictures shatter as they hit the floor.

Looking at the photographs made his blood boil, especially the one with Malcolm and Selene. Seeing the gorgeous woman with his brother made him hate the dead king even more. How could she have chosen Malcolm over him? As much as he hated to admit it, Zoe resembled her mother. While she had inherited her father's golden hair as oppose to her mother's luscious chestnut color, she was almost a spitting image of Selene. Right from the emerald eyes to the fair porcelein skin.

Zoe could not remember Selene, as she had died shortly after giving birth to her daughter. However, Zoe would constantly tell him how her mother was looking down at her from Heaven, keeping a watchful eye on her.

_"She won't let anything happen to me," she had cheerfully told him one day._

_Reuben had looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Kid, she's not watching over you. Once someone dies, that's it."_

_Zoe's eyes had teared up. "No, you're wrong, Uncle Reuben. She is too keeping an eye on me. That's what Daddy told me."_

_"Well, your daddy is a liar. That's what people tell kids to shut them up, especially little brats like you."_

_"I hate you!" With that, the little girl had run off to her father._

Reuben groaned and rolled over. "Little bitch....."

As he lay there, his hands clenched into tight fists. All his life, he had been stuck in his older brother's shadow. Malcolm had been the one in line for the throne. Malcolm had been the one with the beautiful wife. Even when Selene had bore a daughter instead of a son, the little brat was still going to be next in line for the throne. That is, only if she would marry someday.

Why shouldn't things been going his way for once? Sure, Malcolm had given him the highest ranking of all the guards, rewarding him with the same treatment he was receiving. But Reuben wanted to be king, dammit! One way or another, he had wanted prove his brother that he would someday rule over the kingdom. And he had.

So far things were going his way. Except, of course, the princess. The pathetic decoy they had tried to use to throw him off had already been killed and disposed of. They really did underestimate his intelligence, and for that he loathed his deceased brother even more.

As long as his armies didn't screw up along the way, he should be safe. It angered him that the bounty hunters had not been found yet, for that gave them time to recruit reinforcements. And that, he could not allow.

With one last aggraved groan, he shifted again and rolled onto his stomach. In a few hours, he would be sending the town to their knees in defeat.

**okay, im done with yet another chapter. so you know a little more about zoe's past, and now you know why there's no queen around. but damn, reuben's an asshole, i wouldnt pick him either. -_-; let me know how you liked the chapter. byez**


	11. Chapter 11

**uh, i cant think straight and im being plagued by a damn woodpecker. he's gone for now, but i know he'll be back in the morning....i feel like im in that edgar allen poe story 'The Raven', only in my case its a woodpecker. well enough of my rambling, here is the next chapter.**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 11**

After nearly four hours of driving, Takuya glanced down at the fuel gauge.

"Shit! I only have a quarter of a tank left!" He exclaimed.

Kouji and Ami looked down at their own gauges, realizing that they too were down to only a quarter.

"Dammit. I really hope there's a gas station close by," Kouji said nervously. "We haven't seen a single one since we left the kingdom."

"Many of them were destroyed while Reuben made his way to the castle," Zoe told them. "To help ensure him that less people would try to escape."

"Maybe he's not as stupid as we thought," Takuya groaned.

Ami smirked. "He may not be completely stupid, but his army isn't exactly the brightest. I'm sure they forgot to demolish at least one or two along the way."

"Is this the direction he came from before he arrived at the palace?" Takuya asked.

"We're not a hundred percent sure of this, but it seems that he was heading away from Oakwood," Zoe said.

Kouji glanced at her. "And they didn't try to overrun the town?"

"No, at the time, they didn't have enough power to get away with it. They needed direct control of the castle in order to take over Oakwood." Zoe tiredly rested her head against Takuya's back. "They would've been in for a battle if they tried to take over so soon. And at the time, Reuben wouldn't have wanted any casualties."

"Makes sense." Takuya looked around slightly. "But I really hope there's a station close by or we're screwed."

Ami sighed. "Yeah, it'll still take us another twenty-six hours just to get there by motorcycle. If we have to walk, it'll take several days."

"Kouji and I have dealt with worse. But with the princess at stake, I refuse to walk to the next town. I'll fucking steal a vehicle if I have to," Takuya said.

"That is, if we even see one." Kouji glanced around at the surroundings.

Although they were not driving through the woods, there were thick bunches of trees creating walls on both sides of them.

"Just keep your eyes open," Ami advised. "I can't remember exactly, but I know that there was a station a few miles down the road. But that was a long time ago."

Kouji looked at her for a moment, then concentrated on the road again. "How long ago since you've been through here?"

Ami paused, looking as though she didn't want to answer. "Thirteen years ago."

"Shit.....Well, we'll just have to wait and find out," Takuya said.

Luckily for them, about fifteen minutes later, they finally came across a gas station. However, it was run-down and looked as though it hadn't been used in years.

"Maybe if we're lucky, there'll still be some leftover fuel in one of the pumps," Zoe said hopefully.

"We gotta try." Takuya parked his motorcycle beside one of the four pumps.

The four of them looked around one last time, then pulled their helmets off. Takuya killed the engine, then helped Zoe get off. Kouji and Ami had pulled in beside two of the other pumps, shutting their engines off as well. While Takuya went to pull the cap off of his bike to put the nozzle in, Zoe looked to her right. There was a small boarded-up shack, and a sign hung loosely off the corner of the door. It read 'Gas, Snacks, and Cigarettes'.

Takuya sighed in relief as his tank filled up. "Good thing this pump didn't demand for me to pay first. There's no one here to start the stupid thing...."

Ami filled her tank as well, while the pump Kouji had parked next to was completely dry. Fortunately for him, the empty one beside it seemed to hold a substantial amount of fuel.

Takuya glanced at Zoe. "You hungry at all?"

The blond shook her head, the thought of food making her stomach churn.

"You gotta eat something," he insisted. "Even if it's a cookie, just get something in your stomach."

Zoe sighed in defeat, then began to rummage through one of the burlap saps hanging on either side of the seat. She fished out two cereal bars, tossing one to Takuya.

"Take your own advice," she said, tearing the wrapper off.

Takuya shrugged, ripping the wrapper off of his. He wasn't a big fan of cereal bars, but he was not about to complain at a time like this.

Kouji glanced at Ami, then dropped his gaze. "So.....What were you doing around here thirteen years ago? Seems kind of out of the way from the palace."

Ami looked uncomfortable, but answered him nonetheless. "I was traveling with my parents, and we went by here. I'm actually surprised that I still remember."

"An elephant never forgets," Kouji joked.

Instead of being yelled at by her, he was bewildered that she did not respond. Ami's eyes appeared to be somewhat glassy, as if she was remembering something.

He suddenly felt guilty for his joke. "I was only kidding....."

"Huh?" Ami looked up at him.

"I called you an elephant. Didn't you hear me?" Kouji asked.

The dark-haired girl dropped her gaze again. "Oh. Well, next time I'll kick your ass."

She removed the nozzle from her tank, screwing the cap on a moment later. Kouji stared at her for a few seconds, then followed suit. Takuya had already finished filling his tank and was already sitting on his motorcycle again, starting the engine.

"You guys may want to scarf something down real quick before we leave," Takuya suggested, his mouth full.

"Nah," Kouji and Ami replied unanimously.

Takuya shrugged. "Alright. Just don't bitch to me when you're hungry."

"Food's the last thing on my mind," Ami muttered as she pulled her helmet on.

Kouji threw a worried glance at her but said nothing. He had a feeling that she was in no mood for talking. A minute later, they were speeding down the endless road again, hoping to get to Oakwood quicker than they expected.

_Meanwhile_

Reuben smiled at the stack of contracts in front of him, satisfied with his work.

"We killed five people," Akira informed him. "They refused to sign, so we disposed of them. After that, I think everyone understood the message a bit better."

"Idiots should've known I wasn't screwing with them," Reuben growled. "Did they really think I was going to let them do as they pleased?"

Akira rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, I guess. But other than that, everyone cooperated."

"As they should. They better get used to the fact that there is a new king," Reuben said. "In order to gain their respect, I must make them fear me. I want them to shudder at the sound of my name. Intimidating them will make them more obedient."

The young guard looked down uneasily. "Yeah, I guess."

Reuben threw him an annoyed look. "No, you don't guess. You know for a fact that it is true."

Akira stiffened his body. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Filthy maggots," Reuben muttered. "Every last one of 'em."

"Yes, sir."

Reuben drank the last mouthful of his whiskey. "Go fetch me another bottle. And don't screw around while you're getting it."

"Yes, sir." Akira hurried off in pursuit of a new bottle, leaving Reuben peace and quiet.

The man sighed, reclining back in his throne as far as it would let him. This was the life. The life he should've had in the first place.

"Oh, dear brother. If only you could see me now," he said quietly. "How your stupid little brother made your precious kingdom fall to its knees..."

He glanced over and saw a framed photograph he hadn't noticed before. Frowning, he gingerly picked it up and stared at it. The picture was of Malcolm and Selene, holding each other in a tight embrace. Clutched in one of Selene's hands was a tiny crown, a gift for their unborn daughter. Disgusted, Reuben threw it across the room, where it slammed into a wall. The glass covering shattered into a million pieces, causing the picture to become damaged. Not that he cared, of course. Now if only his niece would break that easily....

Two minutes later, Akira hastily returned with the demanded beverage. He looked down at the shattered glass and bent frame, as well as the tattered photograph.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, handing the bottle to his king.

"Just getting rid of some unwanted garbage," Reuben replied, an irritated tone in his voice. "Pathetic how she chose him over me."

Akira did not know the full story, as he was only a few years older than Zoe and had not been around to see what went on in the kingdom. All he knew was that Reuben had lusted after Selene. Though in the end, she had obviously chosen Malcolm over his younger brother.

"Any idea why she chose him?" Akira dared to ask.

"Because he was in line to be the next king," Reuben hissed. "She claimed that she loved him and would've married him regardless. I don't believe that was the reason, however."

Akira hesitated, then asked another question. "Why didn't you believe her?"

"I just didn't!" Reuben slammed his fist down into the table. "Plenty of women wanted me. But the only one I actually gave two shits about fell for Malcolm."

The guard decided to drop the subject, as he did not wish to make his ruler angrier.

"You are dismissed," Reuben said absently. "Just go away."

Somewhat grateful, Akira left the room once again. Reuben looked at the bottle of whiskey, then took a long swig. For now, if there was any hope of him forgetting about his brother for the time being, he would have to just drink the memories away.

**okay, im done with another chapter. i hope it came out alright, so let me know. see ya later ^_^**


	12. Chapter 12

**why hello! sorry i couldnt update sooner, i was really busy and had a ton of shit to take care of. but im done with everything now, which is why i was able to finally finish this damn chapter. hope you like it. if not.......sorry...**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 12**

"Takuya, how ya holding up?" Kouji weakly called out.

His brown-haired friend groaned. "After seven more straight hours of riding, my butt fell asleep....."

Ami was beginning to nod off as well, trying her best to keep her eyes open. By now it was five o'clock in the evening, and they still had almost another twenty hours of travel time ahead of them.

"There's no way this town could be so far away," she said sluggishly. "It has to be closer than we think."

"Or so we hope," Kouji replied. "I doubt it, but maybe if we're lucky it'll only be a little while longer."

They halted their bikes momentarily, deciding to stretch their stiff bodies for a few minutes.

"I think this is the longest we've ever traveled nonstop," Takuya muttered. "This is bullshit....."

Zoe sank to the ground, rubbing her sore temples. "If you want, I can drive."

Takuya shook his head, taking a swig of water. "Nah, it's alright. I can keep it up for as long as I have to."

The blond shrugged, then took a sip of water from her own bottle. "Suit yourself."

"Twenty more fucking hours!" Kouji cried out tiredly.

Zoe frowned slightly, trying to think. For some reason, she did not think it would take them that long to reach town. It had been over twelve years since she had traveled through the lands, but she did not remember it taking quite that long. J.P. must've miscalculated the distance, for it didn't seem to make sense.

"I could be wrong about this, but it may only take us another five or six hours," she told them.

Ami raised an eyebrow. "How do you figure? That cuts off fifteen friggen hours. I could see if maybe you cut off four or five, but fifteen?"

Zoe sighed. "Look, I know it's been awhile since either one of us went through this way, but I don't think it'll take us twenty hours."

"I really hope it doesn't," Takuya said, rubbing his behind. "This is ridiculous....Why the hell is it so far away?"

"I don't know," the blond replied. "It just is. But hopefully it won't take as long as we expected."

Kouji snorted, then popped a potato chip into his mouth. "Sorry, but I think it will."

"We'll just have to find out when we get there," Ami retorted. "Maybe she is right. I don't remember it taking this long to get to Oakwood either."

"Hell, I hope you guys are right, too. I'm sick of traveling," he said.

Takuya sighed, then mounted his bike once again. "Let's just go and hope that we get there soon."

"I'm just being optomistic," Zoe pointed out, climbing on behind Takuya. "If I'm wrong, don't kill me."

"Kouji doesn't know the meaning of optomistic," Takuya said with a chuckle as he revved the engine.

Kouji smirked. "I'm the pessimist in my family."

Ami glanced at him. "So does that make your brother the optomistic one?"

"No, it makes him the annoying one."

_Meanwhile_

The townspeople were in a state of panic by now. Not only had their beloved king been murdered, but his ruthless sadistic brother was now enforcing laws of obedience.

"This is bullshit," a middle-age man muttered to his wife. "Complete loyalty to this bastard? What a joke...."

His wife shot him a nervous, paranoid look. "Shhh! Someone might hear you. I'm not happy about it either, but think about the kids. They don't want to see their father lying in a pool of blood because he disobeyed the king."

The man snorted in disgust. "Some king. Tyrant is more like it."

"You can say that again," another man grumbled as he walked past them. "Reuben already killed five people for not signing his fucking contract."

The woman's eyes widened in horror. "Are you serious?!"

The man nodded. "I'm afraid so. For now all we can do is kiss the bastard's ass."

"This is pathetic," the first man added. "Everyone is acting like hermits because of this opression.....Not that I can blame 'em. Can't even breathe without one of Reuben's guards up your ass."

"We'll just have to deal with it," his wife said with a tired sigh. "Hopefully not for long."

"What happened to the princess?" Her husband asked. "Did he kill her?"

The second man shrugged. "Not sure. I've heard rumors that he killed her, but I've also heard other people say that she was able to escape."

"We can only hope." The woman brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. "She's the only one who can stop him."

While the townspeople were scurrying around in a terrified manner, fearing for their lives and freedom, the tyrant was off doing his own 'business', as he called it.

Blood squirted onto Reuben as a young man crumped before him, half of his head blown off.

The king lowered his shotgun, then tossed it aside carelessly. "Akira!"

The guard rushed into the room, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw the body. "W-what h-h-happened?"

Reuben glanced at the deceased man in disgust. "He refused to come to terms with me. So I killed him. Now dispose of this waste."

Akira reluctantly walked over. "Yes, sir."

Blood and brain matter was splattered across the floor in a sickening display. Akira groaned inwardly to himself and picked up a large burlap sack that was nearby.

"I don't know if I can lift this thing myself." He tried to nudge the body into the sack as best as he could, but the man had been heavier than himself.

"Find a way," Reuben barked. "And if you get blood on your clothes, so fucking what? Change them and stop being a pansy."

Akira swallowed the bile that had risen to his throat. "Yes, Your Highness."

As he tried to heave the deadweight into the sack, Reuben picked up a piece of paper and skimmed down it.

"Why was this guy here in the first place?" Akira grimaced as a chunk of the man's brain plopped onto his knee.

"He was just some idiot I called to speak with," Reuben replied dismissively. "It doesn't concern you anyway."

Akira kept silent as he finally stuffed the body into the sack. "Do you want this kept with the king-uh I mean, your brother?"

Reuben shot him a warning look. "No, just put it with the garbage. And make sure you watch what you say about my brother. He is not the fucking king anymore, you little twit."

"I apologize," the guard said quickly in a nervous tone. "Just trying to break that habit."

"For your sake, you better do it quickly," Reuben snapped. "Don't let it happen again."

Akira nodded, then proceeded to drag the sack away. It was a grueling task, but he managed to finally get it moving, leaving behind a bloody trail.

"And send one of the servants in to clean this mess!" Reuben called after him.

"Yes, sir!" Akira replied, grateful that he was not in charge of the clean-up.

Just then a large, hulking man brushed past him. He stood almost six and a half feet tall, his body packed with muscle. His head was shaven smooth, but he kept a dark brown goatee on his intimidating face. A long scar trailed down through his right eyebrow, making its way over his eyelid and down to his cheek.

"Ah, Koga. Just the man I wanted to see," Reuben said to his commanding officer. "Please tell me you came here with good news."

"Not exactly," Koga replied gruffly. "So far we haven't found them."

Reuben rolled his eyes. "Well, why am I not surprised?"

"We did, however, discover that they had spent a night in an old motel," Koga continued. "The guy running it was questioned, and he denied the fact that he helped them."

"Did you guys kill him?"

Koga shrugged. "We shot him point-blank in the chest, then left him to bleed to death. No way he could survive for more than a few minutes, especially with no one else in the area for miles. He's a goner."

"We're getting closer," Reuben speculated. "I know where they're headed, but it's all a matter of catching up to them."

"We'll catch up to them," Koga said.

Reuben raised an eyebrow. "You better. Now go."

Koga stalked out of the room, then noticed Akira feebly dragging the heavy sack. "Give me that, kid."

He threw it over his shoulder and carried it away, as if it was a sack of feathers. Akira trailed behind him meekly, ashamed that he couldn't do it himself.

Reuben gazed out the window, his eyes darkening. They were slowly catching up to the princess, but not at a quick enough rate.

"Dammit," he muttered.

In a few hours the sun would be setting, and his army would not be able to navigate as well. He cursed them for lacking the skills they really needed to take out the bounty hunters. The duo was strong, maybe too strong for his soldiers....

_Don't be ridiculous!_ He angrily thought to himself._ There's only two of them, and hundreds of trained men on your side. They don't stand a chance._

But what about that dark-haired girl, Ami? She too was a skilled bounty hunter, and Zoe was very capable of holding her own. And what about new recruits they might join forces with? How would his army fare against them?

"Don't think about that," he hissed. "Just rip them apart and throw their remains into a trash compactor, where they belong."

A moment later, Akira trudged into the room, his clothes soaked with blood. He looked repulsed as he pulled the sticky fabrics away from his skin.

"Didn't I tell you to send someone to clean this mess?" Reuben barked.

Akira straightened up. "Yes, they're on their way. I was just making sure that you didn't need me for anything else."

Reuben looked at him for a few seconds, then chuckled. "Do you know why I bother keeping you around?"

"Um, well.....no." The young soldier swallowed, afraid of what might happen to him.

"I keep your lazy ass around because I promised your father that I would. Once he died, I took you under my wing and tried my best to remain patient with you. Your father was a good man, a brave soldier....hard to believe he would have offspring as pathetic as you."

Akira bit his lip and looked down, his face turning a slight shade of pink.

Reuben raised an eyebrow. "Did I hit a nerve? Aw, too bad."

"No, I'm fine," Akira quickly replied. "My father was a good man."

"Yes, shameful that he met an untimely end. Life goes on, however." Reuben smirked at him, then averted his gaze back to the window. "When we catch them, maybe I'll let you pick one of the bounty hunters to kill. Give you a small taste of blood."

Akira glanced up at him. "I've killed before."

"But no one worthy," Reuben retorted. "Now you can have the satisfaction of killing someone of a high rank. Maybe that will get the gears turning in that empty head of yours."

"Yes, sir," Akira said through clenched teeth. "That would be nice."

Reuben gestured to the door. "Now, get out. I have negotiating to attend to."

Akira frowned. "Negotiating?"

"Well, more like blackmail," the king replied. "I may have the so-called loyalty from the scum of this town, but I need to make sure there is no treason."

"How?"

A thin, cruel smile spread across his face. "Things like drastically cutting down the food and water supplies, for one thing. Everything that is imported here is ran by me, so I have rights over everything. I can manipulate everyone into doing what I want them to, just by withholding food."

Akira gave him a weak, tired nod. "I see....Well, I'll just leave you alone now."

"Good. Don't bother me until I call you."

The man walked out the door, then gave Reuben one last glance while the man wasn't looking. It was dark and full of hatred.

**alright, im done. yeah, akira's getting kinda fed with up the asshole, so lets see how this turns out. and im really getting sick and tired of takuya and the others traveling, so that'll be ending soon. i mean, im starting to feel like this is lord of the rings where all they do is walk the entire three movies, with a fight scene here and there. so yay to the traveling winding down! keep an eye out for the next chapter, coming soon. laterz **


	13. Chapter 13

**sorry for taking soooooo fucking long on updating this story (as well as 20 stupid horror movie cliches). everything's been so friggen hectic that im still dizzy.... *bumps into a wall* ow....anyway, here is the next chapter. im hoping to update this story every day like i've wanted to, but i cant make any promises. sorry -_-; i've just been so busy lately (for once) and i still have stuff that needs to be taken care of. but as i said, hopefully i can find the time to update this every day. well.....um....read the chapter, i ran out of things to say...**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 13**

"We finally made it!"

Everyone watched with amusement as Kouji got off his motorcycle and kissed the ground. At this point, they were almost tempted to do the same.

"I can't believe we made it," Takuya said with a sigh of relief.

They had just crossed a sign that had read 'Welcome to Oakwood'. Although they were still on the outskirts of the town, it would only be about five minutes before they reached the center.

"Yeah, I guess Zoe was right," Ami replied happily.

Zoe shrugged. "Go figure. I can't remember what I did a week ago, but I remember something from over twelve years ago."

"Don't worry." Kouji stood back up. "Takuya can't remember what he did yesterday."

"Drove," Takuya replied monotonely, then chuckled. "Man, J.P. sucks at calculating time."

Ami rolled her eyes. "Give the man a break. I'm just happy that he overestimated instead of under."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Well, now that we're here, we gotta find that Tommy Himi kid," Takuya said. "How the hell are we supposed to do that?"

Zoe smirked. "What do you guys like to do in your spare time?"

Takuya raised an eyebrow. "What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it," she shot back.

"Okay, okay. Well.....I like to have a few drinks here and there," he told her, then realized what he was getting at. "Oh, so he must be in a bar."

Kouji chuckled. "Wow, you figured it out."

"Dude, shut up."

"Both of you shut up," Ami intervened. "I don't know how many bars are in Oakwood, so we'll just have to check all of them."

"Wait a minute. Didn't J.P. say he was a few years younger than us? Takuya and I are eighteen, and you two must be around the same age as us. So this Tommy kid isn't old enough to drink," Kouji said.

Ami snorted. "Do you really think anyone's gonna say 'no' to a bounty hunter? Especially if he's as good as J.P. makes him out to be?"

Kouji thought for a moment. "I guess you're right, as much as I hate to admit it."

"J.P. said we'll know who he is as soon as we see him," Takuya mused. "But how?"

"Maybe he's loud and obnoxious?" Ami guessed. "Who knows? We'll figure it out eventually."

They sped off to the center of town, and within a few minutes, they had reached their first bar.

"I don't think he would be in this one," Ami said with an amused look on her face.

"What makes you say that?" Kouji asked.

Ami pointed to the neon sign that read 'Live Nudes and Lap Dances' and then another that said 'Two girls for the price of one, get 'em while they're hot!'

Takuya burst out laughing, along with the girls.

Kouji shrugged. "So? Teenage guys love boobs and stuff. I'll go in and find him."

The three of them waited about five minutes, until Kouji came rushing out the door.

"Not in there," he said quickly, hopping onto his bike. "Let's get outta here!"

"What'd you do?" Takuya asked dryly.

A tall man with spiky blond hair hurried out of the bar and called to Kouji. "Get back here, you little bastard! Lap dances aren't free!"

"Oh, shit!" Kouji revved his bike and speeded away, followed by his laughing friends.

"Good one, Kouji." Takuya shook his head in disbelief. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Shut up!" His black-haired friend hissed.

Ami smirked. "Told ya he wouldn't be in there."

"I'll listen to you next time, okay?" He muttered in response.

For the next half hour, they searched through four more bars and clubs. Everyone they asked seemed to have no clue where Tommy was.

"Just great," Takuya complained. "How the fuck are we supposed to find this kid?"

"We'll find him," Zoe said. "Let's try this one."

Takuya pulled over, and the others followed suit. "He better be here."

The four of them made their way inside, and unlike the other wild and lively bars they had previously gone to, this one was much more mellow. A dim, yet relaxing light lit the booths, and soft rock music played in the backround.

"Now, this is my kind of bar," Takuya said with a smile.

Zoe glanced at him. "Don't like strip clubs that much?"

The brunette shook his head. "Nah, not really. Besides, none of the girls are really that hot in my opinion. There's really only one girl that I thought was gorgeous, but I could never have her."

"I see," the blond replied, dropping her gaze.

"Well, come on." Takuya looked at the three men sitting at the barstools. "Do any of you know where we can find Tommy Himi?"

The men glanced at each other uneasily, until one of them spoke. "What's it to ya?"

"Look, I'm fucking tired and I've traveling for two damn days! Just tell me where the fuck I can find him!" Takuya yelled impatiently.

"Did someone call my name?"

Surprised, Takuya and his friends stood up to see teenage boy stand up from one of the booths. The boy looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, with shaggy brown hair and piercing eyes. He wore a dark brown coat, and twin guns were holstered at his hips.

"You're Tommy Himi?" Kouji asked to double-check.

The boy smiled. "Yes, I am. How can I help you?"

Takuya stared at him. "You're aware that the kingdom has been seized, right?"

Tommy shrugged. "Who doesn't? But that still doesn't answer my question. What do you want?"

Zoe stepped forward and looked down. "We fled from the palace and are looking for recruits to help us overrun the tyrant. A friend recommended you to us, so we-"

"You were wondering if I would help, is that it?" Tommy interrupted.

"Yes," she replied. "That is, if you don't mind."

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Mind? Of course I don't mind. You think I want that bastard running the damn kingdom? Hell no."

"So, you'll do it then?" Ami asked.

"Sure, why not? I doubt that the four of you can take on that controlling asswipe that calls himself king. Shame about the real one...."

Takuya gave Zoe's hand a reassuring sqeeze. "Thank you. It's too late for us to do anything at this hour, but maybe in the morning, we can start thinking of plans. We'll need recruits, hundreds of them at least."

Tommy whistled. "Wow, that's quite a bit. But I think I can help you out on that part. I'm the most well-known bounty hunter around, so almost everyone knows who I am. And with all the favors I've done, I don't think anyone will refuse."

Zoe sighed gratefully. "I really appreciate what you're doing."

"Don't sweat it," Tommy said, scrutinizing her. "Wait a minute.....You're the princess!"

"Uh, yeah." She backed up slightly from his outburst. "I am."

"My apologies, Your Highness. It's just that I thought you were dead," Tommy explained. "Most people did."

Takuya smirked. "We managed to get her out at the last second."

Tommy glanced at one of the windows. "I'm guessin' that you're gonna be needing a place to crash tonight."

The four of them looked down, somewhat embarrassed.

"We can go to a motel," Kouji told him. "Hell, we weren't even expecting to get to Oakwood so soon."

"Don't bother with the motel," Tommy said. "You can stay at my place for the night. I've got plenty of room."

Takuya hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am," Tommy said cheerfully. "Only other person living with me is my little sister, Gracie."

"You didn't leave her home alone, did you?" Ami asked. "With Reuben running around with his stupid army?"

Tommy shook his head. "No, she's at a friend's house. I'm supposed to pick her up on my way home. Besides, she knows how to use a gun."

"How old is she?" Zoe inquired.

"Six," he said nonchalantly. "She learned about a year ago."

"Good to know." Takuya nodded, impressed.

Tommy picked his bottle of beer up off the table and finished it in one gulp. "And don't give me any crap about underage drinking."

Kouji snorted. "Are you kidding? Takuya and I have been drinking since we were twelve."

"Now if only I could keep Gracie away from the alcohol," Tommy said, shaking his head.

The others exchanged glances, surprised.

"Nah, I'm just kidding. Well, let's go get my sister and then we'll head to my place." Tommy grabbed his car keys. "We'll figure out where everyone will sleep when we get there."

"At this point, I'll sleep on the floor," Takuya muttered.

**okay, short chapter but whatever. the next will be longer and im tired. so sorry ^_^; next chapter comes out tomorrow (most likely, not guaranteed)**


	14. Chapter 14

**holy crap, do my eyes deceive me?! looks like we have our old friend R Kelly running around making stupid comments. quick, hide your children! lock your doors and windows! get the firing squad! hustle, hustle, hustle!**

**R Kelly: *is wandering down the street with a stupid look on his face* haha, im horny and im masturbating...see i told you that i had a big cock**

**me: um, that is a stick of salami....**

**R kelly: yeah, well i needed some type of compensation....my real one is so small that is vertually invisible...but im still big**

**me: keep dreaming buddy...my niece's ken doll is more packed than you -_-;**

**chief of firing squad: there he is! he's the guy thats been running around preying on underage teenagers! shoot the sicko!**

**R kelly: *gets shot in the nuts* Ow, my nuts! why'd ya shoot me in the happysacks?!**

**me: hehe, happysacks...look on the brightside, its not like they served you any purpose to your invisible cock....**

**chief of squad: take him away and lock him up for the night!**

**soldier: but sir, do we lock him up with the men or women...cuz he dont have anything down below...**

**chief: ....eh, fuck it. lock him with the men in the shower room.**

**R kelly: no! ...hey wait a minute...hell yeah! now you're talking my language! lock me up with a big dude name Bubba and make sure you give me a bar of soap to drop! my ass is in need for some lovin' and shovin'! **

**chief: O_O okaaaay.....**

**me: have fun in prison! but hey, i dont have to tell you that ^_^ everyone needs a bitch in prison and you fit the description perfectly: stupid, weak, tiny (everywhere), horny, and an all around douchebag. see ya!**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 14**

"Wow, are you really a princess?!" The little girl stared up at Zoe with her big blue eyes. "That is sooo cool!"

Zoe smiled at the pigtailed girl, her eyes heavy with drowsiness.

"Calm down, Gracie," Tommy called to his sister from the kitchen. "It's late and you need to get to bed."

"Aw...okay," Gracie said as she shuffled away. "Will they still be here in the morning?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Cool!" Gracie squealed, clapping. "Maybe tomorrow we can play 'Princess'."

Zoe and the others laughed, while Tommy shook his head in aggravation.

"Maybe," he replied, hoping the answer would get her to go to bed. "Just get some sleep and please don't bother them."

Gracie adjusted one of the sleeves on her pink nightgown. "Okay, night Tommy."

"Night." He gave his sister a peck on the cheek, then gestured to the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm goin', I'm goin'." The girl bounced up the stairs, happy as can be.

"She's so cute," Ami and Zoe said in unision.

Tommy smirked. "Yeah, but she can be evil when she wants to be."

"If you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?" Takuya asked.

"The took off about a year ago, when I was fifteen," Tommy replied with a sigh. "One day they were here, then the next the only thing left from them was a note. I haven't heard from them since."

Ami frowned. "That's horrible of them to leave two children behind. Not that you're really a child, but you know what I mean."

Tommy nodded in understanding. "It was tough for me, but Gracie was devastated. She says that she hates them, but I know that deep down she doesn't."

"Why would they do that?" Kouji asked.

"They couldn't take the pressure of parenthood, I guess." Tommy rubbed his eyes. "My mother was pregnant with my by the time she was fifteen, they married young, and I'm assuming that they couldn't deal with it anymore."

Takuya looked angry. "Assholes like that shouldn't be allowed to breed...."

"I can't say I didn't see it coming," Tommy said. "They were always complaining about how hard life was and that they had never been able to do anything that they really wanted to do."

"But that's not your fault," Zoe retorted. "Or Gracie's. They had no one to blame but themselves."

Tommy shrugged. "Either way, they took off. I know they're still alive, though. Every month, a bundle of money is sent here, more than enough to provide for me and Gracie. There's never any notes with the cash, but who else would send it?"

"As pathetic as it is, at least they didn't leave you guys to completely rot," Takuya muttered. "Fucking assholes."

"I've been taking care of Gracie for the past year, but sometimes she stays at her friend's house. Hard to take of a kid that's ten years younger than me, but I make the best of it," Tommy said. "I've taught her well."

Just then, Gracie came rushing back downstairs.

"Gracie, I told you to go to bed," Tommy scolded. "It's almost midnight."

"I just wanted to show them something," the little girl replied, then turned her attention to the others. "Look what I got. And Tommy even made it pink for me."

They saw her holding up a bright pink handgun, and their eyes almost bulged out of their heads.

"I told you not to touch that!" Tommy snatched it away. "You know that it's only for emergencies! It's not a toy, so stop acting like it is one."

Gracie's blue eyes teared up and she gave her brother a pouty face. "I'm sorry.....I didn't mean to. I just wanted to show them that you gave me one in case I needed it. Besides, it's not loaded."

Tommy sighed, giving his sister a quick hug. "Okay, sorry I yelled at you. But you still know that it isn't a toy, so don't touch it until you absolutely have to. I didn't even want you to have one, but in this day and age, you never know what could happen."

"Okay, I'll leave it alone." She ran back upstairs, then quietly closed her bedroom door.

"Yeah, I spraypainted it pink for her," Tommy said sheepishly, looking at the gun.

Ami chuckled. "I think it's cute. Never too young to learn, I guess. Especially nowadays."

Takuya raised an eyebrow. "But if she fired it, wouldn't the recoil send her flying back?"

"No, I screwed around with it to reduce the shock. It doesn't fire as well as it originally had, but she just needs it to get away as a last resort," Tommy explained. "If she does it again, though, I'm taking the damn thing away."

"Just out of curiosity, but what are we gonna do in the morning?" Kouji asked.

Tommy yawned. "Well, I have a bunch of people to call. I'll have them get here as soon as possible, seeing how Reuben's army is coming."

"Do you really think they'll help?" Zoe asked nervously.

"They better," Tommy scoffed. "It's not a good idea to piss me off. Besides, no one is happy about that douchebag in charge anyway. But it's not like we could've just gone and tried to overthrow him. But now that you guys are here, we have Zoe to scare them."

Takuya frowned, not realizing that he had grabbed Zoe's wrist. "You don't plan on using her as bait or anything, are you?"

"No, nothing like that. But just the fact that she is with us and is returning to claim what's hers is enough to make them panic," Tommy replied. "You know how it goes."

"Yeah, I guess."

Tommy gestured to four doors down the hallway. "My parents wanted a house with a bunch of guest rooms, so you guys lucked out. I'll be upstairs if you need anything, and help yourselves to any of the food we have."

"Alright, thanks man," Kouji said.

Tommy gave them a quick nod, then headed upstairs. "Night."

The four of them each headed to an empty room, not caring about food in the least. Within seconds, all but one had fallen asleep.

Zoe lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't ignore the hectic thoughts buzzing through her mind. What if Reuben's army caught up with them? What if there weren't enough people to help them? What if they simply weren't strong enough to defeat the tyrant?

_Stop with the 'what ifs',_ she bitterly thought to herself. _Just sleep and worry about it in the morning._

That was easier said than done, however, and she continued to toss and turn. Finally, she sat up in the bed.

"Screw it," she muttered.

Zoe got up and quietly opened the bedroom door. She needed some type of comfort, and knew that there was only one way to get it. The blond entered one of the other rooms, hesitating in the doorway for a few moments. After more deliberation, she decided to simply turn around and go back to bed. Just then, a voice stopped her.

"Zoe? Is that you?"

Zoe nervously looked over at the bed, where Takuya was sitting up.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Um, nothing. Just forget it," she replied hastily.

The brunette smirked. "Come here."

The blond stood there for a minute, obviously embarrassed by her actions.

"Come here," Takuya repeated.

Zoe closed the door, then slipped under the covers beside him. "Sorry if I woke you. It's just that...."

"You needed comfort," he finished. "Perfectly understandable."

"Pathetic, though." She sighed, rolling over.

"Is not," he argued. "Can't say I blame you. You just needed a big strong man by your side."

Zoe shot him warning look over her shoulder. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Oh, come on. You could've gone and talked to Ami," Takuya pointed out.

"Fine, I will," she replied, trying to get up.

However, Takuya pulled her back down and stared into her green eyes. "I'm kidding. You can sleep in here tonight."

"You sure?" Zoe asked, still hesitant.

"I'm not gonna kick you out or anything," he said with a laugh. "Now I have someone to annoy while I'm trying to fall asleep. I snore very loudly and sing in my sleep, just to let you know."

The blond rolled her eyes. "What've I gotten myself into?"

"Well, I snore a bit, from what Kouji's told me, but I won't sing," he assured her. "So you won't be woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of 'The Muffin Man'."

"If you do, I'll stuff one of your socks in your mouth," Zoe joked, rolling over to face him. "And don't worry, I'll be sure to stay on this side of the bed."

Takuya raised an eyebrow. "You don't kick in your sleep, do you?"

"No. Why, do you?"

"No, but I have a habit of rolling over, so don't be surprised if I get over to your side," Takuya quipped.

"And that will be when I give you a kick in the butt to move over," Zoe responded.

Takuya smirked. "Aw, come on. It's my bed."

"And this is my fist. If you don't want it to meet your mouth, you better move back over."

"Okay, okay. I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee anything," he said with a yawn. "Well, try to get some sleep. Night."

"Goodnight." Zoe pulled the thick blankets up to her shoulders, burying herself in their warmth.

Outside, heavy droplets of rain began to pour over the wooden roof, their sounds echoing through the house. Zoe felt herself shiver, tugging the blankets up to her chin. Although it was only rain, it sounded like bullets barraging off the walls.

Takuya sensed her wariness and looked over at her, slowly moving closer. "I don't know if this will earn me a kick in the ass, but maybe this will make you feel better."

Before Zoe knew what was going on, Takuya had wrapped his muscular arms around her and was pulling her to his chest. The blond was about to hit him, then immediately had second thoughts once her soft skin touched his. She snuggled up against him, and he was resting his head above hers, taking in the scent of her silky hair.

"I'll let you get away with this for tonight," Zoe finally whispered. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you."

Takuya chuckled quietly. "I won't. Feels too good, and I don't wanna die so quickly."

As much as she refused to admit it, Zoe hoped that he wouldn't let her go.

**okay, im done with another chapter and decided to load it up with takumi moments. thought it was corny? so sue me!**

**kouji: *hands me a paper***

**me: what the fuck is this?**

**kouji: what's it look like? im suing you for everything that you've got**

**me: hehe, good luck with that one. and if you sue me, ill fire you.**

**kouji: so?**

**me: if you're fired, then ill send kouichi to come in and replace you. he'll get to shoot guns....and kill people.....and go out with ami....**

**kouji: *rips up paper* don't be silly! i would never sue you, not in a million years. yep, i sure do love ami- i mean guns! yes, guns! they are my friends!**

**takuya: *randomly walks up with a rifle and starts to sing* this is my rifle, this is my gun *grabs his crotch and continues to sing* this one's for fighting, this one's for fun!**

**kouji: i hate you.... -_-;**

**me: well, keep an eye out for the next chapter, whenever i get the chance to update. see ya later ^_^**


	15. Chapter 15

**we're back with our newest chapter of this story. wonder what R kelly is up to....**

**[cuts to R kelly being raped by a tree] **

**r kelly: oh, hell yeah!!!!!!!!! this tree branch feels awesome up the ass! more, more, more! whip me with your branches and throw me around too, you naughty tree, you!**

**me: well, now that we know what the cocksucker is up to, lets continue on with the story**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 15**

"You guys comfy?"

Takuya and Zoe slowly opened their eyes, seeing Kouji and Ami standing in the doorway with smug grins on their faces. The two looked at each other, and cried out in surprise, forgetting that they had fallen asleep together. Zoe gave Takuya a hard shove, knocking him to the floor with a heavy thud.

"Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head, sitting up.

"Sorry," Zoe quickly apologized, her face red with embarrassment.

Ami tilted her head. "So, did you two sleep well?"

"Get out!" Takuya barked at them.

"Or what?" Kouji challenged.

Takuya picked up his shotgun and pointed it at them. "You have three seconds before I shoot you!"

Kouji grabbed Ami's wrist, yanking her out the door and slamming it shut.

"What the fuck?" Ami asked from outside the room.

"Takuya shot at me before for not getting out. We should listen to him," Kouji told her. "He's a friggen psycho!"

The brunette chuckled. "He knows me all too well."

Zoe pulled the covers up to her chest, as if she were naked. "I wasn't expecting to be woken up like that, I can tell you that much."

Takuya snorted, running a hand through his messy hair. "I've gotten used to being woken up by that annoying bastard."

"Well, sorry I pushed you." Zoe got out of the bed and hurriedly made her way to the door. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

With that, she was gone, leaving Takuya alone in his bedroom.

"Dammit," he muttered.

Five minutes later he exited his room, heading toward the kitchen. Kouji and Ami were seated at the table, along with Gracie. All three of them were munching on pancakes and bacon.

"Tommy makes the best pancakes in the whole wide world," Gracie told Takuya with her mouth full. "You should eat some."

Tommy was standing at the stove, a small smirk on his face. "Yeah, I gotta admit, no one makes breakfast like I do."

"And I helped," Gracie added. "I even put the syrup and butter out."

Takuya smiled at her. "Well, good for you. I'll be sure to try them."

"Well, sit your ass down and eat then," Tommy said.

"Tommy, you said a bad word," Gracie told him. "Does that mean I can?"

Her brother sighed. "No, Gracie. Just please eat your breakfast and get dressed."

"Has anyone seen Zoe?" Takuya asked, taking a seat.

"The princess?" Gracie asked. "She's so pretty. Do you think she is?"

Kouji laughed. "Oh, he thinks she's pretty. Don't you, Takuya?"

"Shut up," Takuya hissed.

"She's just finishing getting dressed," Ami said. "She'll be out in a few minutes."

Takuya forked a large piece of pancake into his mouth. "So, what's the plan?"

"Already told you. I gotta call my boys, but I can't do it till at least after one in the afternoon," Tommy replied.

"Why so late?" Ami asked.

Tommy smirked. "Lazy bastards don't wake up before that time. And don't repeat what I said, Gracie."

The little girl shrugged, then continued to eat. "You said it, not me."

A moment later, Zoe walked into the kitchen. She sank down beside Takuya, her head cast down.

"You okay?" Ami asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the blond replied in a nervous tone.

The others exchanged glances, but said nothing.

"Do you wanna play 'Princess' today?" Gracie asked. "I'm really good at that game."

"Sorry, but they didn't come here to play. I'll drop you off at Azami's house later and you can play 'Princess' with her instead," Tommy said.

Gracie pouted slightly. "But I've never played with a 'real' princess before. Me and Zoe can be the princesses, you and the brown-haired guy can be the princes, and the black-haired girl can be a princess too if she wants."

"Hey, what about me?" Kouji joked.

The girl thought for a second, then smiled. "Oh, you can be the man that brings us meals. We need one of those."

Takuya burst out laughing. "Haha, you're the butler."

"Oh, shut up," Kouji shot back.

"But I'll pay you a lot to be the butler," Gracie said. "Here."

Kouji looked down at the Tootsie Roll that she had just handed him. "With a salary like this, how can I refuse?"

"Goody!" Gracie clapped her hands excitedly.

Tommy sighed, not wanting to hurt his sister's feelings. "Sorry, but they're going to be really busy. And they won't be here for very long."

Gracie's face dropped, but she nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"I'll play with you later," Zoe offered. "It'll be fun."

"Really?" Gracie's face lit back up. "Okay, we'll play later. Thank you!"

She drank the last sip of her milk, then happily bounced up the stairs.

"You know you don't have to, right?" Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind at all," Zoe said.

Takuya shoved a strip of bacon into his mouth. "I doubt we'll have time, but who knows?"

"All I know is that we don't have much time," Tommy said. "We need to gather reinforcements, then head back to the kingdom. When Reuben gets word of what we're doing, he'll have his armies retreat."

"It'll be easier if they do retreat," Takuya replied. "That way we won't have any encounters on our way back."

Kouji sighed. "I'm really not looking forward to another two-day trip."

"I'm not either," Ami added sullenly.

Tommy smiled. "Oh, you won't have to. I have a friend with connects to a better mode of transportation."

Takuya's eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Really? What kind of transportation?"

"Planes." Tommy took a sip of water.

"Yeah, but if we're coming back with an army, how will we possibly fit everyone?" Ami inquired.

"First off, each plane can carry up to sixty passengers," Tommy explained.

Zoe looked impressed. "Wow. How many does he have?"

Tommy thought for a moment, then made an estimate. "I can't remember the exact number, but I know that it's somewhere between twenty-six and thirty."

Takuya choked on his food. "Thirty?"

"Give or take," Tommy responded with a shrug.

Zoe quickly calculated everything in her head. "I don't know how many recruits we'll have, but if there are thirty planes that can carry up to sixty passengers, that'll end up to be one thousand eight hundred people. But this is only if all the planes are filled"

Takuya smiled, recovering from his choking mishap. "Wow, you're really good at multiplying."

Kouji smirked. "Yeah, Takuya can barely add by counting on his fingers."

"Screw you," Takuya hissed. "I'm not that stupid."

"Maybe not _that_ stupid, but still pretty stupid."

Ami shot them both a warning glance. "You guys better shut up, or you'll each end up with a foot in the ass."

"If you guys are smart, you'll listen," Zoe advised.

"Takuya's not smart...." Kouji mumbled, only to be smacked in the back of his head by Ami. "Ow!"

Ami chuckled. "I let you off easy this time, but I won't next time."

"Okay, okay. Jeez," Kouji said in an irritated voice.

Tommy shook his head and smiled in amusement. "Anyway, I doubt that there'll be over a thousand recruits, but we'll just see what happens."

"I wonder how far behind Reuben's army is," Takuya mused.

Zoe glanced outside, a worried expression on her face. "I hope they're still a good distance away. We've already stopped and rested for the night, and it'll take some time before help gets here."

"I think that they're still pretty far behind," Ami said. "Reuben might be pissed and motivated, but his army is mainly a bunch of lazy bastards."

"Yeah, maybe. They've probably been resting frequently," Zoe added, thinking about it. "Or so I hope."

Takuya wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Don't worry, they won't catch up to us in time."

"How do you know?" Kouji asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow.

The brunette shot him a death glare. "Because I do. I may not be good at math, but I'm still pretty good at estimating time. They'll probably get here by midnight. So we need to let Reuben know that we're coming before then so that he can have those idiots retreat."

"What if he doesn't?" Zoe asked. "What if he decides to just have them come here and attack us?"

"No, we won't tell him," Tommy said. "If we hop on planes and go straight to the kingdom, then we can kill him and the army will still be stuck in Oakwood."

Ami shook her head. "No, we can't do that. If we just leave, the army might kill the entire town. Think about it. They'll think that we're here and then go and burn down all the buildings and houses. I don't know about you, but I don't want that on my conscience."

"I'm with her," Zoe told him. "We'll let Reuben know that we're coming so that his armies retreat. But if we're taking planes, we'll still get to the kingdom well before his army."

"Don't forget," Kouji pointed out. "I'm sure he didn't send out his entire army to track us down. He must still have at least half waiting at the kingdom for protection."

"Either way, I agree with them," Takuya said, gesturing to the girls. "We give the bastard a warning, then head to the castle and slaughter him."

Tommy picked up the dirty dishes and placed them into the sink. "I'll drop Gracie off at her friend's house in a few hours, because we might be gone for a few days. All we can do for right this second and wait for one o'clock to roll by so I can call my friends."

Takuya sighed. "You know, your friends are lazy. And that's a lot coming from someone like me."

The boy shrugged, then began to rinse. "If we get access to the planes, they can be as lazy as they want."

**okay, im sick of typing so this is the end of the chapter. let me know if you liked it and keep a look-out for the next. see ya**


	16. Chapter 16

**okay, fellow lunatics. i now present chapter 16 of this story...and i have nothing else to say besides that R kelly is a cock-sucking sonofabitch that enjoys straddling cactuses and horny prison inmates. and for the record, im aware that the plural word for cactus is cacti, but i feel funny saying it. same with that whole octopus thing. but since this is just a stupid note at the top of the page, i dont care about the grammer ^_^**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 16**

"Where the fuck are they?!"

Akira looked at his king meekly, unsure of what to say.

"This is ridiculous. If those jackasses weren't so damn incompetant, the princess would've already been killed or at least captured," Reuben growled. "How far away are they from Oakwood?"

"Um...." Akira thought for a moment. "I'd say about eight hours. So they should be there at around ten o'clock tonight, seeing how it's two right now."

"I know how to calculate time, you little imbecile. If they hadn't taken so many damn breaks, we would've already arrived at Oakwood." Reuben took a shot of vodka, then abruptly slammed the glass into the floor, shattering it. "I have some thinking to do. And seeing how you've got nothing better to do, clean this glass up."

Akira's mouth twitched slightly with annoyance. "Yes, Your Highness."

Reuben threw him a warning look. "Are you copping an attitude?"

"No, of course not," Akira responded a little too quickly.

The larger man stalked over to him. "You know that I can order to have you killed at any time I please, correct?"

Akira nodded, breaking out into a cold sweat.

"Good, don't screw with me or speak to me with that tone of voice. I still have no idea how your father could have spawned something as pathetic as you," Reuben sneered.

The young guard looked down, trying to keep his temper at bay.

"Now clean this mess up," his king spat. "I'll call you if I need anything."

With that he was gone, leaving Akira alone in the room. Akira sullenly made his way over to the pile of broken and splintered glass. As he picked up the shards with his bare hands, his mind kept racing with angry thoughts of Reuben. An image of Reuben popped into his head, followed by a shotgun blasting the wretched man's head off. Akira smiled at the thought, his fist closing around the glass. As blood dripped from his clenched hand, he glanced down at the small puddle forming on the floor. If only it had been Reuben's blood on his hands....

_Meanwhile_

"What?! Nine hundred people?! How the fuck did you manage that one?!"

Tommy blinked, slightly surprised by Takuya's outburst. "I told you that I had friends."

"Yeah, but how?" Kouji asked, just as shocked as Takuya.

"I called my friend James, and he sent out a text message to everyone," Tommy replied, as if it were obvious. "How else do you think we communicate? By carrier pigeon?"

"A text message?" Ami raised an eyebrow. "What, does he have over a thousand numbers in his phone?"

Tommy smirked. "No, only about five hundred. But we got in touch with the other four hundred pretty easily."

"So, where are all these recruits coming from?" Zoe asked.

"Well, about half of them are actually residents of Oakwood. But since James lives in the next town over, he was able to find a bunch of other people in the same town who hate Reuben," Tommy explained. "He's the friend with the planes, by the way."

Takuya grinned. "Awesome. When do you think they'll get here?"

"Well, the plane ride will only take them about twenty minutes, seeing how they're much closer to Oakwood than you guys were. But they need to gear up and get their weapons ready. So, they'll probably be here in about two hours or so," Tommy said.

"They do realize that they could be hurt, right? Or worse?" Zoe asked uneasily.

The boy shrugged. "They're willing to take that chance. They'd rather die for their freedom instead of living under that asshole's rules."

Kouji laughed. "Kind of ironic that Reuben doesn't even have planes. He's the fucking king for crying out loud."

Zoe's eyes darkened slightly, but she said nothing. Takuya noticed the sudden change, understanding what had upset her.

"Reuben's not the king," Takuya growled. "He just took over the palace, claiming it as his own. So don't call him that again, or I'll shoot you."

"Sorry," Kouji muttered. "I didn't mean it like that. And you always threaten to shoot me.... One of these days you finally will."

Ami sighed. "It's okay. We know what you were getting at."

Kouji looked at her, surprised that she hadn't jumped down his throat for what he had said. Usually she was the first one to ridicule his stupid comments.

"You okay?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Ami stiffened, her sapphire eyes almost black. "I'm fine. Just drop it."

Kouji glanced at Zoe, whom shook her head slightly, telling him not to pry.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Ami said quietly.

Kouji watched as the dark-haired girl walked to her room.

"What's the matter with her?" He asked Zoe once Ami was out of ear-shot.

The blond sighed. "Let's just say that she's dealing with some painful memories."

"About what?" He asked.

Takuya and Tommy looked at the princess, curious about what was going on with her friend as well.

"About Reuben," she finally replied. "It's really not my place to tell you, so you should ask her yourself. I don't want to upset her by telling you guys her life story."

Just then, Tommy's cell phone rang. "I need to take this call. You guys make yourselves comfortable while there's still time to relax. Gather your things within the next hour."

He left the room to answer his phone, leaving Takuya alone with Zoe and Kouji.

"I'm going to go talk to her," Kouji said with a sigh.

He made his way to her bedroom door, softly knocking on it.

"Who is it?" Ami's voice asked from inside.

"Um, it's Kouji," he said, feeling somewhat awkward. "Is it okay if I come in?"

There was a long pause, then a tired reply. "Sure."

He went into her room, softly closing the door behind him. Ami was laying on her bed, her gaze fixed on the open window.

"What do you want?" She asked sullenly.

"I just wanted to see what you're doing," Kouji said.

Ami continued to stare at the window. "I'm laying on the bed, staring out the window."

"Look....I'm not very good at this kind of stuff.... But I know that something is bothering you, and I wanted to find out. Is it about Reuben?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, of course it is. I don't like that fucker being in charge," Ami hissed.

Kouji sat down on the edge of Ami's bed. "That's not just it, though. There's more to it. Something that you don't want to admit to."

"Let's just say that I've hated Reuben for the past thirteen years," she replied.

"Is it because of the way he treated you and Zoe as kids?" Kouji asked.

Ami gave a small, humorless laugh. "No, it goes much deeper than him telling us that we were nothing but little brats."

"So.....Would you mind telling me?"

"Remember me telling you when I mentioned that the last time I traveled to Oakwood, I was five?" She asked him.

Kouji thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. What happened?"

"Well, that was the last time I traveled that road before our little adventure. I was with my parents at the time, and we were on our way back from visiting relatives. It was around ten o'clock at night I think, and my dad was trying to find the nearest motel for us to go to for the night. We never made it to a motel," Ami explained, her voice cracking.

Kouji swallowed. "Why not?"

"Reuben showed up while we were driving, and signalled for us to pull over. Apparently Malcolm had banished him from the kingdom the day before, and he was none too happy about it. Since my father was Malcolm's best friend, Reuben tried to persuade him to convince Malcolm to let him back in," Ami said. "My father refused, and all hell broke loose. He tried to drive away from the bastard, but Reuben followed us in his car. He ran us off the road, and into a tree."

The raven-haired girl paused, her body shaking. "Both my parents were killed instantly, while I was in the back barely alive. I was in a coma for two weeks, then had to deal with the fact that I had lost my parents. That's why Malcolm treated me like his own daughter, to help me cope with my loss. And I had always seen him as another father figure anyway."

Kouji hesitated, then took the trembling girl into his arms. Instead of pushing him away, Ami simply broke down at her painful memories.

"And now that he's killed Malcolm too, it's just hard to grasp everything all at once. Zoe never knew her mother, and now she has to go through the same pain I went through when my parents were gone. And on top of that, she has that asshole uncle of hers calling all the shots. I swear to god, when I get my hands on him, he'll wish that he had never been born," Ami growled.

"It'll be okay," Kouji told her, gently stroking her hair. "We'll kill the bastard and Zoe will regain power over the kingdom."

Ami's eyes narrowed. "That so-called army he has is just a bunch of his pathetic friends. How he has so many, I have no idea. But I do know that I'm going to make sure that each and every one of them meets a painful demise."

"I'm sure they will," Kouji said, staring down into her eyes.

Ami blushed slightly, dropping her gaze. "I still hate you."

"Good, I hate you, too." Kouji smirked. "Get used to it."

With that, their lips met with a crushing force. Ami straddled Kouji's hips and nipped at his lip, then glanced at him.

"Don't think that this changes anything," she said breathlessly.

Kouji kissed her back with just as much force and smirked. "Not even for a few minutes?"

Ami ran her hands down his chest, tugging at his black shirt. "Well, a few minutes wouldn't kill me."

"Good."

With that they kissed even harder than before, practically tearing each other's clothes off in the process. Ami pushed Kouji down onto his back, her black hair falling in his face as she bent to nip at his neck.

"No way am I letting you take control," Kouji replied huskily, rolling them over.

Ami pouted, but did not make a move to change their positions back. "Chauvenistic bastard."

"Oh, you'll get your chance." Kouji kissed her forehead. "Just not now."

**okay, im ending the chapter cuz if it goes any further it'll be a lemon. and yeah, i also decided to clear things up with ami's past. figured that you guys were curious.**

**random guy: not really!**

**me: shut up! takumi moments in the next chapter. and i figured that kouji has been very lonely and needed something to get him to be less emo.**

**kouji: im not emo! but yeah, i do feel better :)**

**and good news! i have decided to write another takumi lemon in a week or so (or whenever i finish 20 stupid horror movie cliches)! if you enjoy lemons or liked my other one, then hopefully you'll like this one too. however if you dont like lemons or hated my other one, then i wouldnt advise you to read it. im feeling extremely daring so this one will make the other one look like it was rated K. hopefully it causes some nosebleeds and bring out the perv in all of us. am i perv? no, im just really in the mood to write a really graphic lemon. so if you dont like the idea, then dont read it! that is all ^_^**


	17. Chapter 17

**okay, i saw on my reviews that some guy is making stupid racist comments. dude, i wont make fun of you or say that you have a small cock as you expected. all i will say is that you're a racist pig and if you really want me to find you a huge white cock, then i will find one for you. i fucking hate racism and you are no exception so shut the fuck up and take it up the ass like a good little bitch. you hate certain races? well, im sure they hate you just as much. and just for that comment, instead of finding you a white cock, i will track down a good friend of mine. he is african american and well-packed from what i've heard, and he wouldnt take kindly to your statements so have fun, you shithead. he can take you to the ghetto where you can get gangbanged. but im sure you'll enjoy it so try not cum in your pants from excitement.**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 17**

Zoe sat on the edge of Takuya's bed, watching as the brunette put his gear on.

"I can't believe this is it," Zoe said absently.

Takuya glanced over his shoulder at her and smirked. "Must be excited, huh? Now you can get your revenge on that bastard."

Zoe sighed, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Yeah, I guess."

"You don't sound very thrilled about it." Takuya slipped a pistol into his belt. "What's the matter? I thought this was what you wanted."

"This isn't what I wanted, it's something I have to do. It'll be hard for me to kill him, but it has to be done. If we don't, he'll try something else," Zoe replied tiredly, flopping onto her back.

Takuya checked the ammunition in his shotgun, then set it down. "It sucks, but that's how things go. Some people can't be stopped by simply being locked up. Now, I don't know the bastard, but from what I've heard, he seems intelligent enough to get around it."

"He's one of the smartest people I've ever met," Zoe told him. "The only person who could put him in his place was my father."

"Yeah, and apparently Reuben didn't like it one bit," Takuya said. "Damn, how could anyone kill their own brother?"

Zoe shrugged. "Well, he did and I know he had a hell of a time doing it. It's going to be hard to bring myself to do it, but I'll make sure he dies a horrible painful death."

Takuya chuckled. "Hey, can I have a turn, too?"

"All of you can." Zoe brushed a strand of hair off her face. "I might just tie him up and give everyone a pitchfork to finish him off with."

Takuya shook his head. "Nah, you need to do something so gruesome, that he'll wish he never stepped foot in the kingdom."

The blond rolled onto her side. "I'll think of something later. For now I'm just going to focus on the battle."

"I think we have a really good chance. Hell, we probably have more recruits than he does." The bounty hunter sat down beside her. "And I'm sure we're more experienced than those idiots he calls soldiers."

"I wouldn't underestimate them if I were you," Zoe warned him. "His army slaughtered my father's, and they were highly trained professionals."

"You guys were also kind of caught off guard," Takuya pointed out. "Yeah, the kingdom knew that Reuben was coming, but they still didn't have too much of a notice. You guys didn't have time to call in for back-up or anything."

The princess rolled onto her back once again, her emerald eyes staring up into Takuya's chocolate ones. "I don't know. Maybe we would've had a chance, and maybe we wouldn't have. There's really no point thinking about it now."

The brunette reached down and gingerly brushed Zoe's soft hair off her forehead. "All we can do now is wait and see what happens in a few hours."

Although she was somewhat surprised by his gesture, she did not feel the urge to slap his hand away. Instead, she enjoyed the warmth of his skin as it touched hers. She sat up, a slight blush on her face.

Takuya smiled. "Anyone ever tell you how pretty you are when you're embarrassed?"

"Umm..." The girl was silenced at Takuya brought his lips to hers.

Zoe nestled herself in his arms, resting one of her hands on his cheek as she kissed him back. Takuya traced his fingers down her backbone, settling them at her waist. He pushed her down against the bed, crawling on top of her. His tongue ran over hers and he could feel Zoe wrap her legs around his waist, resting them on his hips. Zoe's arms encircled his neck as she gently nibbled on his lip.

"Maybe....we should....stop," Takuya gasped in between kisses. "I don't wanna, though...."

"Me either," she replied breathlessly as she buried her face in his shoulder.

As Takuya shifted his weight slightly, he could feel the flatness of her stomach against his chiseled one. Takuya kissed her neck, slowing making his way down to her chest.

"Hey, you guys ready?"

"Shit!" Takuya threw himself off, almost falling to floor.

A moment later, Kouji poked his head in. "I said, are you guys ready?"

"Yeah, be out in a minute," the brunette hissed angrily through gritted teeth.

Kouji looked at Takuya, who was obviously infuriated, then shifted his gaze to Zoe. The blond was looking at the floor, a hint of redness on her cheeks. He smirked at Takuya, then left them alone.

Takuya sighed. "I'm gonna kill him. I know I keep saying that, but one of these days, I'm just gonna blow his brains out."

"No, if you kill him, who else will you annoy?" Zoe teased.

"Um...never mind...." Takuya slid a switchblade into his pocket, then offered his hand to Zoe. "Well, let's get out there."

The blond took his hand, following him to the door.

"Maybe it was a good thing he interrupted us," she said quietly with a laugh. "You're gun was digging into my leg."

The bounty hunter chuckled. "That wasn't my gun."

Zoe was too surprised and embarrassed to say anything as he dragged her out into the living room.

Standing in the room was Tommy, Kouji, Ami, and a young man they had never seen before. The man had cropped strawberry-blond hair and light blue eyes.

"This is James, the friend I told you about," Tommy said.

James gave them a curt nod, a slight smirk on his face. "How's it goin'?

"Not too bad," Takuya replied nonchalantly. "So, where are the rest of the recruits?"

"Boarding the planes as we speak." James absently scratched at the beard stubble on his chin. "If you guys are packed and ready to go, I suggest that you board soon as well. The sooner we leave, the better."

Ami glanced at Zoe. "So, are you gonna call Reuben to let him know that we're coming for him?"

Zoe was a bit nervous, but refused to let it show. "Yeah, I better go call him now. Does anyone have a cell phone that I can borrow?"

"You can use mine," Tommy replied as he tossed it over.

"There's a phone in the castle?" Kouji asked, somewhat surprised.

Ami chuckled. "Yeah, of course there is. We don't live in the stone age, you know."

"Well, excuse me." Kouji rolled his eyes. "Just didn't think you guys had one."

"We use it when we have to. Zoe and I both had cell phones but we left them behind because Reuben could've tracked us down if we had them. There's a phone in the main lobby that we use from time to time," Ami explained.

Takuya shot them an annoyed look. "Shh! Just shut up and let her call."

Everyone watched as Zoe dialed the number, then held the phone to her ear.

"It's ringing," she said quietly.

_Meanwhile_

"Where are they...?" Reuben impatiently paced around back and forth.

Akira popped into the doorway. "Sir?"

"What is it?" Reuben snarled at him, clearly aggravated.

"Phone call," the soldier replied as he held up the phone.

Reuben's eyes narrowed and he stalked over, ripping the phone from Akira's grip.

"Hello?" He barked into the receiver.

"It's me."

His breath caught in his throat as he immediately recognized the soft voice.

"We're coming for you," Zoe continued ominously. "You better hope that you call your troops back so they reach you in time before we slaughter you."

"Where are you?" Reuben hissed.

"That's none of your concern," the blond replied icily. "I figured that I'd give you a fair warning that I'm coming back to take what's mine. So be ready."

Before he could respond, the line went dead.

"Fuck!" He slammed the phone into the wall, breaking it.

"What was that about?" Akira finally asked.

"That little bitch!" Reuben snapped. "Apparently she's coming back to reclaim the throne. Like I'd let that happen. Call back the army and tell them to get here as soon as possible. The bitch is coming and by the confident tone in her voice, she must have recruits. Fuck!"

Akira raised an eyebrow. "But, isn't that what you wanted? To find her?"

"Before she could get back-up, you imbecile! Now that she has an army of her own, she thinks that she'll win this fight." Reuben cried out in frustration. "I still have half the army here to my aid, so let's see if that'll be enough to hold them off until the other half finally gets they're asses here."

Akira thought for a moment, then smirked inwardly. "Sir, the other half of the army should have more than enough time to return to the kingdom before the princess shows up. After all, the princess and the hunters are further away than your troops. As long as they hurry back without any stops, they'll have plenty of time to get ready for the enemy's arrival."

"I suppose you're right," Reuben muttered. "The troops should have enough time, but only if they hurry. Call them back and tell them not to bother with anyone else along the way. I just want them to get their lazy asses back here as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Highness." Akira sped off to alert the army.

_Too bad Reuben doesn't know how intelligent I am,_ he thought to himself. _He's too stupid to realize that the princess probably has a quicker mode of transportation. If only he hadn't been such as asshole to me. I really could've helped him win this battle. Oh, well, his loss._

**yup, akira's fed up with reuben so he's not gonna give him any good strategies ^_^ well, that ends this chapter so keep a lookout for the next one. see ya later**


	18. Chapter 18

**alrighty, here is the next chapter. sorry i didnt update sooner. i was busy halloween night and was too hungover yesterday to update it then.**

**takuya: you are an alcoholic**

**me: am not! alcoholics admit that they have a problem. im just a happy drunk ^_^**

**takuya: -_-;**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 18**

Zoe's heart quickened as the plane gradually ascended upward. She was filled with a mixture of nervousness, fear, anxiety, and also restlessness. Closing her emerald eyes, she could picture herself slicing into Reuben's body as if it were made of butter. She could almost see his blood trickling from his mutilated body and dripping onto the floor. However, most of all, she could feel the warmth of the blood spray onto her as she thrust a dagger into his chest...

"You okay?"

The blond snapped back to reality, momentarily confused.

"What?" She asked, forgetting that Takuya was right next to her.

Takuya raised an eyebrow. "I asked if you were okay. Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just fine....." Zoe dropped her gaze to the floor.

She concentrated on slowing her heartrate slightly, a task proven to be difficult while sitting next to Takuya. Zoe glanced at him shyly, noticing how his messy chestnut hair fell above his enticing chocolate eyes.

"You sure?" The brunette asked her, obviously not convinced.

"Yeah, really. I'm okay," she replied quickly. "Just nerves getting the best of me."

Takuya took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about the fight."

"How can I not?" Zoe looked at him as if he had three heads. "We'll be there in like an hour and a half. And you tell me not to worry?"

"I know that it sounds like stupid advice. But trust me, it doesn't help if you get yourself all worked up about it. Just try to keep calm, at least for now," Takuya said softly.

Zoe gave him a weak smile. "I'll try, but I can't make any guarantees."

Just then they heard the intercom and James' voice echo through the plane.

"This is your captain speaking. It is now okay to unbuckle your seatbelts and wander around freely. And don't get any ideas of using the bathroom to have sex in. Trust me, I've tried it and it's too damn small....I gotta get that made bigger....But anyway, yeah....do what you want and don't break anything or I'll kick your ass. That is all," James stated.

Takuya gave Zoe a playful grin. "Awww....too bad. I was really looking forward to trying it out."

Zoe blushed. "Well...maybe later...."

"I'm unbuckling this fucking thing..." Takuya unbuckled his seatbelt with a sigh of relief. "I hate seatbelts....What's the point of having them on a plane?"

"So that you don't roll down the aisle in case the plane hits turbulence," Zoe replied, rolling her eyes. "I figured that you at least knew that."

Takuya smirked. "Yeah, but who would be stupid enough to fall and roll down the aisle?"

A moment later, there was a slight bump, and Kouji rolled past them.

"Ow!" Kouji rubbed the back of his neck. "Stupid bump...."

"This is your captain speaking again," James said over the intercom. "Don't mind that small bump. Nothing serious, probably just hit a bird or something. That is all."

As Kouji made his way to his seat beside Ami, Takuya laughed.

"I guess that answers my question," he said.

Zoe unbuckled her own seatbelt, still feeling butterflies in her stomach.

"I feel like I'm gonna be sick," she moaned.

"You do? Would you like me to get you a drink?" Takuya asked her.

The princess shook her head. "No, I'll be okay. I'm just thinking about this too much...I'm really not looking forward to this."

She suddenly felt herself being pulled into Takuya's lap, the bounty hunter protective cradling her in his arms.

"Take a nap," he whispered to her. "I'll wake you when it's time to land."

Although she was not tired, she still felt worn-out. "Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a few minutes. I'm not taking a nap, though."

She snuggled up to his warm body, pressing her cheek up against his hard chest. Takuya kissed her forehead, then glanced out the window. The sun was beginning to set by now, and would not be ideal for battle conditions. However, they couldn't hold it off anymore. It was now or never and everyone knew it.

"She asleep?"

Takuya looked up to see Kouji and Ami staring at him. He then gazed down to see that the blond had indeed fallen asleep.

"Looks like it," he replied.

"Aw, you guys make such a cute couple," Ami told him. "Too bad Kouji can't be that sweet."

Kouji frowned. "Of course I can be. I'll prove it right now."

He gathered Ami into his arms, shifting her body over his. "See? I told you that I could-"

Just then the plane bumped for a second time, causing them both to fall over and crash onto the floor. Takuya held tight to Zoe, safely keeping her in place.

"Oh, yeah. You're real romantic," Ami said sarcastically as she climbed back up to her seat. "Best way to win over a girl is to drop her."

"Hey, look at the brightside. At least you fell as a couple," Takuya said with a chuckle. "Speaking of which, when did you guys stop hating each other?"

Ami and Kouji both turned a slight shade of red and they quickly exchanged nervous glances.

"A few hours ago," Kouji finally blurted out.

"Yeah, he went to bug me. So I told him my life story, and we ended up making out on the bed," Ami said bluntly. "And judging by the look on your face, Kouji and I aren't the only ones who are getting close."

Takuya smirked. "Maybe."

Kouji snorted. "Don't give me that bullshit. It's written all over your face. Even if you two haven't had sex yet, you've still messed around with each other."

"So, maybe we did. Why do you care?" Takuya asked.

"I don't, to be honest with you. I could care less about what the hell you do in your spare time," his friend responded with a nonchalant shrug.

A moment later, Tommy walked up beside them. "Just to let you guys know, we have to land the planes about a mile and a half away from the kingdom. It's the closest place we could find, so we'll have to do it that way."

"That's fine by me," Takuya told him. "Do you know how long it'll take us to get there?"

"I'd say about two hours maybe. I might've underestimated the time that it would take us to get there, but oh well." Tommy glanced at the other passengers.

Some of them were dozing off, their weapons held tight in their hands. Others were gazing out the window with anxious, yet excited expressions on their faces.

"Well, I'm gonna go and speak with James. He knows the time it'll take better than I do." With that, Tommy walked away.

"Reuben will never know what hit him," Takuya said smugly.

Kouji's eyes darkened a shade. "I wouldn't get cocky, especially at a time like this. No matter how well things seem to be going, don't let your guard down."

Ami looked at Kouji with a small smile. "Wow, I never knew that you could actually think in an intelligent manner."

"Don't get used to it," Takuya replied with a laugh.

"You're one to talk," his raven-haired friend shot back. "You're no more intelligent than I am."

Takuya chuckled, shifting Zoe slightly in his arms. "Smarter, no. Strategic, yes."

"Dude, fuck you...." Kouji turned away from the brunette, annoyed.

Ami rested her head against his shoulder. "Relax. We're only kidding around. I think you're very smart."

Kouji rolled his eyes and put an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah right."

"Well, maybe not at first. But I can definitely say that my opinion of you has changed since we first met," Ami said.

"Really?" He glanced at her. "How so?"

Ami smirked. "Well, first I thought that you were a loud, obnoxious moron. Now I think that you're a loud, obnoxious moron with a useful strategy every now and again."

"Gee, thanks," Kouji replied sarcastically.

"Yes, but look at it this way. You are also a moron that knows how to kiss," she whispered sensually into his ear.

Ami pressed her lips against his and kissed him, running her tongue over his lower lip.

"Damn, get a room," Takuya muttered.

_Meanwhile_

"Did you hear what's going on? The princess it coming back."

That was all everyone could talk about as they scattered around anxiously.

"I hope that poor girl takes back what's rightfully hers," a woman said to her friend. "Such a shame about her father."

Her friend nodded. "I agree. I only signed that stupid paper so that Reuben wouldn't kill my family. He's such a scumbag."

"I hope the princess puts that bastard away for good," the woman replied.

"I'm good with that idea," her husband added. "Fucking asshole.....him and his damn army...."

The woman glanced at the castle in the distance, frowning. "If I get the chance, I'll kill some of those guards myself."

"Easy, Julie," her husband advised. "Don't do anything reckless."

"Oh, I wouldn't do anything stupid. I'm just saying...." She replied. "I mean, come on, Ray. You would too."

Her husband, Ray, smirked. "Damn right I would. Hell, I would even have the kids join in. I'm sure that a seven and five year-old are perfectly capable of beating someone senseless. Especially if I give them a shovel."

Julie's friend smiled. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. If I have to go in there and help, I sure as hell will."

"Me too," Ray said. "Beat those morons senseless...."

**okay that wraps up this chapter so keep an eye out for the next one. see ya**


	19. Chapter 19

**okay, here is the next chapter. um..yeah i have nothing interesting to say so...yeah...here it is. enjoy**

**random person: you suck!**

**me: shut up! *shoots them* well, go ahead and read it...**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 19**

"Hurry up and get your shit together! They're coming soon," Reuben barked at his soldiers.

He watched as his army ran around frantically gathering weapons and gear. Men and women alike loaded up their guns and sheathed daggers, concealing them deep within their coats.

Reuben glanced over to see Akira loading his shotgun, a vacant expression on his face.

"Wake up and pay attention," he snapped. "You look as though you're about to fall asleep."

Akira slowly looked up at him, unfazed by the harsh tone of his voice. "Trust me, sir. I'm not."

"I hope not. The last thing I need is for you to get your head blown off by not paying attention. Not that it would be a big loss," Reuben muttered, turning away.

The young soldier glared at him, trying to restrain himself from hitting his king.

_King,_ he scoffed to himself. _What a joke._

"Now listen up! I want this castle surrounded at every corner and angle. Three quarters of you will be guarding the outside, and the others will remain inside. Until the rest of the troops return, we must fend off the enemies as long as possible!" Reuben shouted. "Shoot and kill anyone who comes in your path. I would prefer the princess being brought to me alive, but kill her if you must. And make sure you take those bounty hunters down as quickly as possible. They are the glue that hold their recruits together. If we can eliminate them, the rest will be easy. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The room shouted in unision, holding up their weapons as if they were already victorious.

"Spare no one and don't bother taking prisoners," he added. "Except, of course, my niece."

_Meanwhile_

"Hey, we're landing soon."

Takuya groaned, feeling his shoulder being poked at. "What...?"

"I said that we're landing soon," Tommy said. "Get your stuff together and be prepared to land in five minutes."

"Okay," Takuya sleepily replied.

He looked down to see that Zoe was still snuggled in his lap, her blond hair hiding her face. He brushed it away, then gently shook her.

"Zoe."

"Mmmm?"

"We're landing soon," he told her.

Zoe slowly shifted off him, stretching her sore arms. "Can't believe I fell asleep...."

Takuya smirked. "Apparently I did, too."

He was already prepared to get off the plane, as he still had all of his weapons and gear strapped on. The only thing he needed to do was to sling his bazooka over his back when they landed.

Kouji and Ami were ready also, tired expressions on their faces.

"Well, this is it," Ami said. "Ready to kill someone?"

"You mean like the whole castle?" Takuya smirked. "Yeah, I'm ready."

The others nodded in agreement, then looked out the windows. The sky was dark and littered with stars, and the moon shone enough to cast light onto the quickly approaching ground. The other planes were close behind, prepared for their own landing.

James' voice came up over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your annoying captain speaking again. We are about to land so get your things together and hold on. This won't be the smoothest landing, but I can work with it."

"So thank you for flying Jackass James' Jet Service," Tommy added over the intercom.

"Hey, I'm not a jackass! And this isn't a jet, so why would you call it that?" James argued.

"I needed to think of something that started with the the letter 'J' to make it sound good," Tommy replied with a laugh.

As the two of them bickered, everyone exchanged amused glances. A moment later, there was a bump as the plane landed. People were slightly lifted from their seats due to the impact, though no one was hurt. The aircraft continued to move forward for another ten seconds, until finally it came to a complete halt.

"Okay, you may now exit the plane and wait outside while the rest of the planes land," James said through the speaker. "We should be ready to go in about fifteen minutes, so be patient."

Takuya led his friends out, and they waited outside as everyone else exited the plane. Through the darkness, they could easily spot the castle in the distance with its bright lights. Even from where they stood, it was obvious that the towering kingdom was surrounded with Reuben's guards. Zoe's face furrowed in a worried frown, noticing the alarming number of soldiers waiting for their arrival. There would also be more guarding the inside, where Reuben was smugly sitting in that throne.

Takuya gave Zoe a kiss on the forehead, embracing her as he did so. "Relax. We'll get through this, okay?"

"Yeah," she replied nervously.

Ami and Kouji exchanged glances, then averted their attention back to the castle.

"Try not to get yourself killed." Ami cast another quick glance at him, then shifted her gaze to the machine gun in her hands. "As much as you piss me off, I don't want to see you get your head blown off."

Kouji smiled, noticing the concern in her voice that she was trying to hide. "Same to you. Besides, if anyone's gonna be blowing my head off, it'll be Takuya. That is, if he ever does it."

"Just waiting for the day when you really piss me off," Takuya replied.

Ten minutes later the rest the planes had landed and the recruits joined them on the field. Tommy walked up to the front and stared at the soldiers.

"Okay, we're gonna take the path that leads through the woods. Not only is it the quickest route to the castle, it is also the best way to execute a sneak attack. As soon as you have a good shot at his soldiers, fire," he instructed. "This isn't going to be a piece of cake, but hopefully we'll have the upper hand. I'm not sure how many people he has in his army, but I doubt that many of them are highly trained."

The recruits nodded, taking the time to double-check to see that all of their weapons were loaded and ready to go.

"Be ready for shooting, as well as close-range attacks. Once we get inside, it'll go to hand-to-hand combat, and it may be easier to use a blade if they are lunging at you. I know you all know this, I just wanted to remind you in case. This kind of pressure can really mess with a person's mind. Also, if you see one of your commrades in danger, by all means come to their aid. However, do it wisely or you may take a fatal unsuspecting blow," Tommy added.

James stepped forward, heavily armed with various pistols and handguns. "Now, are you guys ready to kick some ass?!"

"Yeah!" Everyone shouted together.

"Then let's go!" He exclaimed.

With that, the army hurried off through the nearby woods, following Tommy and James. Kouji and Ami gave each other one last nervous glance, then hesitantly held hands. They jogged to keep up with the soldiers' pace, not wanting to fall behind. However, Takuya pulled Zoe off to the side, letting people pass them. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her sparkling emerald eyes.

"Look, whatever happens, I want you to just do what it takes to keep yourself safe. You are the most important one here, and don't forget it. So if that means you need to dive behind some else to avoid getting shot, do it," he told her firmly.

A look of dread came across her face. "Takuya, I can't-"

"You have to," he interrupted.

Tears began to well in Zoe's eyes and she dropped her gaze. "But if anything happened to Ami, or Kouji, or you especially, I could never forgive myself."

"Don't worry about us. Look, I've only known you for a few days, but I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt. Even if it means I have to put my life on the line to save yours," Takuya said.

Zoe jumped into his arms, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Takuya immediately responded by returning the kiss, holding her tightly. He ran his tongue over hers, their lips gliding softly together.

Finally, they separated, both of them short of breath.

"C'mon," Takuya said huskily, taking the blond's hand. "We better catch up."

They sped off, both of their hearts beating a mile a minute. And the cause of it was not from the approaching battle.

_Meanwhile_

Akira cautiously scanned his surroundings, noticing that each doorway was blocked with a guard. He took a deep breath, then made his way over to one of them.

"King Reuben has sent me to keep a lookout as oppose to remaining inside," he told the soldier.

The man gave him a suspicious look, but said nothing. Finally, he stepped away, allowing Akira to exit the building.

"I will be returning as soon as I see the enemy coming," Akira said. "So expect to let me in later on."

"Whatever," the man replied, not seeming to care.

Akira rushed off into the night, heading towards the woods. He knew that Reuben would be too stupid to expect them from that direction, and he was not about to tell him that. The young soldier sprinted into the hidden path, unseen by the rest of the army.

_I hope this works, _he anxiously thought to himself._ Now Reuben will realize that I'm not as stupid as he thinks. Too bad he didn't learn that sooner._

**okay the battle is beginning really soon, so keep an eye out for the next chapter. let me know what you think of this chapter please ^_^ laterz**


	20. Chapter 20

**whats up everyone and looks like i have that asshole bloodbathsucks back to to make my life that much more amusing. what's up shit-for-brains? long time no see, eh? and so what if you still dont like my stories? i dont see you coming up with any, you dumb fuck. i know, the concept is oh so confusing for your tiny mind to register. goes great with your one inch long cock, doesn't it? call me a dumb bitch for all i care. fuck, you can call me anything that you want and ill still laugh knowing that ill always one-up you, no matter what. and im surprised that you had time to get off of your brother's dick long enough to tell me just how much you hate me ^_^ yeah, just keep on riding that cock, you dirty little bitch, you. make your brother horny enough to spank you like your daddy never did. and when he's done with you, make sure you clean up the mess afterword. im sure you like the taste of your own ass better than anything else in the world. so go right ahead and keep telling me how much you hate me and that my stories suck. just remember one thing; you cant say shit until you have your own stories and i dont see that happening any time soon, you stupid cock-sucking, brother-fucking douchebag. have a nice day and dont let the cock get stuck in your ass.**

**this is a short chapter, but the next one will be better. sorry about that ^_^;**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 20**

Adreneline pumped through Zoe's system as she saw the kingdom growing closer with each passing second. She was overcome with a mixture of anxiety, eagerness, and vengeance. Takuya shot her a warm smile, pulling her along with him.

"We're almost there," he said. "Just a few more minutes."

Tommy and James were leading the group, with Takuya and the others right behind them. Suddenly, Tommy came to an abrupt halt. Surprised, everyone followed suit, stopping dead in their tracks.

Tommy's eyes narrowed as he drew one of his guns. "Who's there?"

From within the shadows, a figure slowly emerged. His face was concealed in the darkness, but as he approached them, the moonlight shone onto him.

"Who are you?" Tommy hissed. "And don't try anything funny. You're out-numbered."

Akira stepped forward completely, allowing everyone to see him. "I'm sorry if I startled you. And trust me, I have no intentions of trying anything funny."

Takuya walked up to him, Zoe's hand tightly clasped into his. "Well then, who the hell are you?"

"My name is Akira," the soldier told him. "You see, I work for Reuben and I-"

He immediately felt himself being slammed into a tree and Takuya raised him up so his feet were no longer touching the ground.

"You work for that bastard?!" Takuya barked.

Akira shifted uncomfortably. "Please, let me explain."

Zoe gingerly touched Takuya's arm, causing him to shift his attention onto her. She stared into his eyes and nodded. After a brief hesitation, Takuya released Akira.

"Thank you," Akira replied.

"So, explain yourself," Kouji commanded him. "Why are you here?"

The young man sighed. "Yeah, I work for Reuben. Or at least, I did. I'm not on his side anymore."

Ami raised an eyebrow incredulously. "What do you mean? Why not?"

"Reuben doesn't know that I'm here. If he finds out that I left my post in the castle, I'll surely be killed." Akira sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I couldn't stand watching what he did anymore. He's a monster."

Takuya snorted. "And you're just realizing this now?"

"It's complicated. I've never liked Reuben, but my father was his best friend. And when he died, Reuben kind of came along and I was hoping he would help fill that empty void as a type of father figure," Akira explained. "My father was a good man, and I don't know how the hell he met that bastard. But once he was gone, Reuben's true colors came out. Now, I always knew that he was a bit overbearing and somewhat hostile, but I never imagined that he would become the tyrant that he is."

"So let me get this straight. After your father died, you began to hang around Reuben more often and learned that he was an asshole," James said. "Then you follow along with his plan to take over the kingdom? Why would you do that?"

Akira sighed. "I knew that it was wrong, but I had nowhere else to go. I was a coward and stuck with him as he took over the kingdom. If I could go back in time and just run away like I wanted to, I would. But I can't, so now I have to live with the choices that I made. But I refuse to do it by Reuben's standards. Not anymore."

Everyone exchanged glances, still slightly uneasy.

"But how do we know we can trust you?" Zoe asked him.

"I'm not here to gain your trust, but I wanted to help you guys execute your way through the guards. I know how to get some of you inside and to Reuben more quickly," he said.

Takuya wasn't convinced. "But how do we know that this isn't a trick? No offense man, but I'm not buying it."

"As I said, I don't expect you to trust me. But I wanted to do my part and separate myself from the bastard once and for all. If you want me to leave, I will. But I am not returning to the castle otherwise. By now Reuben probably knows that I'm gone, and I'll be killed on the spot," Akira told them.

"I dunno...." Takuya looked at Kouji. "What do you think?"

The raven-haired hunter thought for a moment, then shrugged. "It may be a stupid move for all we know, but let's give him a chance."

"Well...alright." The brunette looked at Akira. "We'll take your advice and let you lead us to the castle. But if you do anything suspicious, I won't hesitate to shoot you."

"Understood," Akira replied. "This is the only way I can redeem myself for what I've done. I'm truly ashamed of my actions."

The princess gave him a weak smile. "Well, we'll see how this goes. Thank you."

"Don't thank me," he said miserably. "I haven't done anything to deserve it. Now, let's kill your uncle and get you your throne back."

"I'm good with that!" James loudly intercepted. "What about you guys?"

Everyone nodded, not wanting to scream and alert the kingdom of their presence.

"Will you shut up?" Tommy hissed at him. "You'll blow our cover."

James dropped his gaze. "Sorry...."

"Well, lead the way," Takuya instructed Akira.

The soldier nodded and began to navigate them through the winding path. The walls of trees concealed them well enough for the time being, as long as they didn't do anything inconspicuous.

"There are guards on every side and angle," Akira whispered loudly to Takuya. "About three-quarters of them are guarding the outside, and the rest are inside."

"What about the soldiers who were sent to track us down?" Takuya asked.

"They're still on their way back from Oakwood. But the battle will be over by then, hopefully. And once they arrive, Zoe can have them banished from the kingdom and locked away forever," he said.

Kouji glanced at him. "How trained is his army?"

"They're nothing special for the most part," he replied. "However, he does have a few men who are quite intimidating. And keep a lookout for the commanding officer, Koga. He's a tall well-built man with a shaved head and a scar on his face. He is the one to beat."

"Does Reuben have any combat experience?" Tommy asked.

Akira grimaced. "Unfortunately, he does. He's not impossible to defeat, but he will give you a run for your money."

"It's true," Zoe added. "I used to see him train when I was a kid, and his abilities were very impressive."

Takuya chuckled. "Well, let's hope that he's gotten weak in his old age."

"He's only in his thirties," Ami pointed out. "Sure, he might now be as good as he was ten years ago, but he is not old by any means."

Akira led them to the end of the path, where the opening came out on top of a tall hill. Below the hill was the palace, surrounded by awaiting guards.

"Okay," he whispered. "We're going to enter through the door on the far right, the one closest to us. You're going to need about two hundred volunteers to keep that area covered once we've killed the guards. The rest of you can go inside and find Reuben. The reason why you're going to need so many soldiers is because the place is swarmed with them. Those of you who are outside will kill any of Reuben's guards that try to stop you."

Takuya nodded, in full agreement with the strategy. "And the rest of us will go inside and split up to find the asshole."

"He has every room covered," Akira told them. "So just keep shooting and hope that you don't miss."

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Takuya asked.

The recruits smiled eagerly, displaying their readiness. Their weapons were clutched tightly in their hands, just itching to be used.

"Okay." The brunette aimed his bazooka at the castle for when he needed it. "Let's go."

With that, they all rushed down the hill like a waterfall, their heavy footsteps beating into the silence of the night.

**okay, the battle finally begins in the next chapter. stay tuned to see what happens ^_^ and let me know how you like it so far if you have ten seconds to spare. laterz**


	21. Chapter 21

**okay, i finally got this godforsaken chapter finished, but it still may take me awhile to come out with the next. but im trying my best, i swear ^_^; (though im still not happy with how its coming out) also, there's an important notice on my profile which you may want to see (unless you hate my stories, my writing, or me in general) if thats the case, then you probably wont care. other than that, here is the next chapter**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 21**

The guards watching the castle didn't know what hit them. One minute everything was calm and silent, then the next thing they knew, they were being shot at.

"Fuck!" One of them yelled, feeling a bullet pierce into his shoulder.

Takuya fired his bazooka, killing ten of the soldiers. As more men sprinted over to stop Takuya's forces, they were immediately showered in a rain of bullets. Many of them fell, their blood staining the grass a dark crimson. Takuya discarded it, as that one could only hold one shot.

"Come on!" He grabbed a revolver from his belt and led Zoe and the others inside, while several of the recruits stayed behind to fend off the enemy.

They came to a long corrider covered in a thick crimson carpet. Paintings adorned the cream-colored walls, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling, its crystals gently swaying. A group of men and women emerged from the end of the hallway, and they began to sprint over to Takuya and the others.

"What's the plan?" Tommy asked, pointing his gun.

Takuya smirked, and shot one of the soldiers who was running up to them. "Kill 'em all."

"I'm good with that plan!" Kouji fired his machine gun.

Ami and Zoe were hitting their targets dead on, the corpses of Reuben's soldiers collapsing onto the floor. Heads exploded in a sickening mess, and blood splattered onto the walls. Miraculously, no one from Takuya's team was injured.

At the end of the corrider, more of Reuben's soldiers fired at them. Most of the bullets bounced off the walls and high columns holding the ceiling up. A few of the recruits weren't so lucky this time, however. They fell to the floor, twitching as they succumbed to their wounds.

"Shit!" Takuya grabbed Zoe and shoved her behind him. "Stay behind me!"

"Like hell I will!" She stepped away from him, firing her pistol at her uncle's soldiers.

Takuya shot her an annoyed look, then continued to take out the approaching men.

"These guys are idiots," James said with a laugh. "They just keep coming out waiting to be shot!"

After about thirty more seconds of the barrage of bullets, the soldiers stopped running out. For now at least.

"Come on," Takuya commanded. "Keep your weapon ready at all times."

The group hurried down the corrider, quickly yet cautiously. The path remained clear until they reached the very end of it, where there was a room to the right. It was filled with dozens of armed men and women, and they wasted no time shooting at Takuya and his team.

"Fuck!" Takuya and the others ran ahead, as planned.

About sixty of their recruits stayed behind to take out that portion of Reuben's army. As they ran down the hallway, Zoe and the group could hear bullets flying and hitting targets. They could hear wails of agony and the sound of bones splintering.

"Dammit." Ami made a disgusted face.

"Where do we find Reuben?" Kouji asked.

Zoe shot a man who had jumped out from another room. "He's on the other side of the castle. So we have awhile to go."

"Great," James muttered. "Hope you guys brought extra ammunition."

"Don't worry about that," Takuya replied.

Akira scanned the area as they ran. "He's probably sitting in that damn throne with a shotgun on his lap."

"I wouldn't doubt that," Zoe said. "He's not stupid."

"Actually, he is. Just not in that aspect," Akira told her. "Trust me, I spent enough time with the bastard."

"Let's just hope that we get to him before-"

Takuya was cut off as a heavy fist made contact with his face. He was then grabbed around the neck and felt the barrel of a revolver press up against his temple.

"Nobody move!"

Everyone stared at the man had grabbed Takuya.

Akira's eyes narrowed. "Koga."

The bald man smirked. "Hanging with the enemy, eh? Can't say I'm completely surprised. You always did seem like the type who would become a traitor eventually."

"Let him go!" Zoe cried out, her pistol pointed at his head.

Koga laughed. "Ah, Princess Zoe. Long time no see. How's you old man by the way? Last time I saw him he seemed a bit stiff."

Zoe's finger tightened against the trigger. "I said, let him go."

"I won't let him go, and if any of you try anything, I'll blow his fucking brains out," Koga replied.

"Loosen the grip, will ya?" Takuya threw the man an annoyed look. "And try some deodorant while you're at it. I heard that the stuff works wonders."

Koga gave him a sharp kick in the back of his leg, causing the hunter to hiss in pain.

"I don't like smart-asses and you're no exception," Koga sneered. "One more comment like that and I'll just shoot you for the fuck of it."

Kouji glared at him. "If you shoot him, then the rest of us will fire at you."

"Yes, I realize that. But I also know that if he's dead, you guys are that much weaker. Losing my life is worth it if Reuben disposes of you," he said with a smug grin.

Takuya suddenly thrust his arm up, causing Koga to lose hold of his gun as his elbow was hit. The brunette then wrenched free of his grip, and twisted the man's arm behind his back.

"Shit!" He exclaimed, feeling as though his shoulder would pull out of its socket.

"Did you really think that would hold me?" Takuya asked with a chuckle. "Please, I've dealt with ten times worse."

He jerked the arm up completely, and Koga screamed as it popped out of place.

"Fuck!" He yelled.

Takuya took that opportunity to slam him into the ground, the barrel of his own gun pressed into Koga's face. The fallen man glowered up at him, feeling the cold metal press up against his puckered scar.

"Go ahead, finish me off."

Takuya shrugged. "Don't mind if I do."

With that he pulled the trigger, and the back of Koga's head exploded onto the floor. A huge bloody hole demolished half of his face and his one remaining eye glazed over as he died.

"Well, that was easy," the brunette said with a smirk.

A moment later, some of their recruits rushed over, their clothes bloody. It was the group who had gone into the other room to dispose of that portion of Reuben's army. Sadly, only half of them remained. Dour expressions were written on their faces, but they gave Tommy a quick nod to indicate that the deed was done.

"Let's go," Zoe said in a monotone voice. "Better go kill him before anyone else is finished off."

They ran off deeper into the castle, soldiers lurking at every corner. The roar of guns echoed off the walls and bullets chipped away at the furnishings. All around them, bodies fell to the ground, many of them dead before they actually came into contact with the thick carpets.

Takuya kept his eye on his targets, his aim never faltering. Men and women on both sides collapsed at an alarming rate. Within a few minutes, about half of the castle had already been obliverated.

"We're almost there," Zoe told them. "Just one more room to get through."

The said room was bigger than the rest so far, and only a door separated it from the one in which Reuben was waiting in. It was filled with nearly two hundred of the tyrant's soldiers. Many of them held firearms, while others opted for blades.

"This is gonna be fun," Kouji said with a smirk.

Unbeknownst to them, Takuya quickly pulled a grenade from his belt and hurled it into the room.

"Get back!" He pulled Zoe away from the doorway just as it went off.

The grenade immediately exploded, killing almost half of the soldiers in a fiery wave.

"Holy shit!" Kouji peeked into the room, then moved his head away. "Forgot about those."

Taking advantage of the billowing smoke, Takuya and the others began to fire their guns into the room. People screamed and spurts of blood stained the walls. The sound of shattering bones was sickening, and the amount of remaining soldiers decreased substantially. Within seconds, the rest of the soldiers were obliverated. The room was completely stained crimson, as blood covered the floor, walls, and even the high ceiling. A few survivors twitched slightly, quickly succumbing to their wounds.

Zoe and Ami glanced at each other, their eyes dark with vengeance.

"Ready to finish him off?" The dark-haired girl asked.

The blond nodded, gripping her gun so tight, her knuckles were white.

"Careful, though. Reuben's probably being surrounded by at least another few hundred guards inside that room," Takuya pointed out.

Kouji smirked. "Ya think?"

"Eh, shut up." Takuya rolled his eyes, then continued. "The only thing we can do is open the door and just start shooting. If we don't, we're fucked. The last thing we want is for them to finish us off first."

James raised an eyebrow. "So...basically we're just gonna shoot them, hoping that they don't blow our fucking heads off before we blow theirs off?"

"You got a better idea?" Takuya asked.

"Nope, none at all," James replied. "So let's go with yours."

The brunette grabbed another grenade from his belt. "This might work. I mean, look how it worked only a few minutes ago."

"The men inside will be more heavily armed and protected," Zoe told them. "So the grenade may not work as well as we like it to. But use it anyway and maybe we'll get in a few lucky shots."

"Should we use more?" Takuya asked.

Zoe shook her head. "I don't think so. The minute those doors open, bullets are gonna be raining down on us, so you won't be able to concentrate on hurling grenades into the room that well."

"She's right," Ami added. "Reuben's an asshole, but he's probably locked up in a damn bubble or something. So before we get to him, we need to kill everyone else."

"Alright, let's do this." Takuya hurried over to the sealed door, his hand positioned over the handle. "Ready?"

Everyone gave him a silent nod, moving off to the side to decrease their chances at getting shot. After one last hesitation, Takuya wrenched the door open, their destiny awaiting them.

**okay, this chapter royally sucked. but ive been stuck on this forever and its not coming together that well for me. so im just trying my best for this to come out half decent and if you still dont like it, then sorry. im trying my best and its just not cutting it. well let me know how (or if) you like it. laterz**


	22. Chapter 22

**finally, i completed this godforsaken chapter! theres only a few left, though i cant give you an exact number...oh well please enjoy this chapter. and if you dont...well then ill just have to deal with it ^_^;**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 22**

Shots immediately rang out, the bullets chipping away at the walls and ceiling. Takuya and his group huddled up against the wall beside the open door. In that position, they were safe from the oncoming bullets, though not for very long.

Takuya hurled his grenade into the room, quickly ducking away from the door. An explosion was heard, as well as screams of agony.

"Did I get them?" Takuya shouted over the noise.

Kouji snorted, his gun held tightly in his hands. "What do you think?"

Just then, soldiers ran through the doorway, shooting at the recruits like crazy.

"Shit!" Takuya yanked Zoe away from one of the soldiers, shooting the man's head off before he could fire.

All around them guns roared loudly, the sounds the screaming and chipping tile piercing into everyone's ears. People on both sides fell to the ground, many of them twitching in pain. Ami and Kouji fired their machine guns wildly, taking out as many soldiers as possible. Blood and bone splattered in every direction, drenching the forces.

"Where's Reuben?" James shouted out, shooting a man in the face, while dodging another attack.

"Hiding probably!" Tommy shoved the barrel of his gun into a woman's stomach, blowing her guts out a moment later. "We need to kill these guys first!"

James frowned, the dust from the destroyed tiles getting into his eyes. "This is gonna be real fun...."

Meanwhile, Takuya was firing away at the enemy, having already taken a hit in the chest. Luckily, he was wearing his extra thick bullet-proof vest, shielding himself from harm. Zoe was standing behind him, taking out as many soldiers as she could. The sight of the blood made her queasy, but no less motivated to get to Reuben.

A bullet pierced into James' leg, causing him to fall to his knees. "Shit!"

Tommy pulled him to a corner, a look of worry on his face. "Stay over here for now."

"Yeah, whatever...." James gave him a dry laugh, then continued to shoot at Reuben's army.

The pain was tremendous, but he did his best to ignore it as he concentrated on his aim. He fired his gun, killing a woman as a bullet penetrated her eyeball. She sank to the ground in a crimson heap.

By now, over a hundred bodies were littered on the floor, creating large crimson pools. To Takuya's dismay, nearly half of them were from their team. Since there was no time to reload their guns, many people discarded them, only take out daggers for close combat. Takuya shoved Zoe away from one of the soldiers, promptly slicing the man's throat open with his knife. Blood spurted out onto Takuya's face, staining it scarlet. He wiped it away from his eyes, upcutting his blade into another unsuspecting soldier's chest. She too, collapsed to the ground.

Zoe ducked away from a young woman trying to attack her. She kicked the woman's legs out from under her, causing her to crash to the ground. Zoe then straddled her body, lunging her blade down into her chest. The woman gasped, blood seeping from the corners of her mouth. A second later, her eyes glazed over and her head rolled to the side. Zoe slid off of the corpse, feeling the hilt of a knife scrape into her back.

"Shit!" She cried out in pain, jumping away from her attacker.

The man smirked, raising his blade up to lash down on her a second time. Zoe's eyes narrowed and she evaded his next attack, immediately grabbing his arm.

"Hey!" He tried to writhe it free, only to feel a sharp object stab his lower back.

Zoe yanked her blade out, then rammed it into him again, twisting it into his spinal cord. The man made a choked gurgling noise, his legs buckling beneath him. The blond withdrew her knife once again, this time letting the soldier simply fall to the ground, where he lay barely moving.

"Zoe, are you okay?" Takuya demanded, noticing the blood on the back of her shirt.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him."It's just a scratch."

One by one, the soldiers were taken down. Although more of them were from Reuben's army, a staggering number of them were from Takuya's team. Soon, the amount of recruits who had entered the castle was down to only a quarter of the original number. By now, people were no longer rushing from the awaiting room, as all of them had already been taken care of. It was unknown on whether or not Reuben was inside that particular room. In the ruckus, it had closed once again.

Takuya looked around at the small group, his expression dour. "Hopefully we got through most of Reuben's army. But either way, keep your guard up."

The remaining recruits nodded sullenly, their clothes and skin stained with their enemy's blood.

The brunette sighed. "You guys ready to go in now?"

After a slight pause, everyone nodded reluctantly, clearly anxious about what would happen.

"Wait a minute. Reload your weapons," he commanded them. "It'll be much easier taking the bastard out with bullets."

As they gathered up their weapons, Takuya grabbed a cartridge from his belt and reloaded his machine gun. His fingers shook with apprehensiveness, and he glanced over to James. The young man was clearly injured, though not severely.

James glanced at him and smirked. "I'll just wait here for now. Last thing you guys need is to lug me around on your backs."

"We can't leave you here," Tommy argued. "Someone might show up."

"Let them," his friend replied. "I can take care of myself well enough. Just make sure you leave me enough ammunition."

Tommy hesitated, then sighed, finally giving in. He tossed him a machine gun, as well as extra ammunition.

"Try not to get your head blown off," he half-joked, a worried expression on his face. "And try not to piss them off too much with your big mouth."

James chuckled. "Even in death, they cannot shut me up! So I will continue to annoy them."

"Smartass," Tommy muttered.

"Okay, let's go," Takuya intervened.

James cocked his rilfe, nodding curtly. "Take care."

The group yanked the door open once gain, holding their weapons up protectively. However, this time no shots rang out. They exchanged uneasy glances, not liking the tranquility. Takuya glanced inside, where Reuben was self-rightously sitting on the throne.

"Ah, you finally made it," Reuben said.

By the looks of it, the king had no soldiers around to protect him. Everyone rushed inside and Takuya wasted no time firing his machine gun at the man. Surprisingly, the bullets simply bounced away from Reuben, clinking to the ground.

"What the fuck?!" Kouji attempted to shoot him as well, getting the same result.

Reuben rose from the throne. "Did you really think that I was just going to sit here and let you kill me? No, I'm a bit too intelligent to give up like that."

As if on cue, high from the rafters Reuben's soldiers were aiming their guns at Takuya and his team. They were clearly outnumbered, for men and women seemed to be crawling from every hidden corner as well.

"I took the liberty of installing a wall of bullet-proof glass right in front of me. That way I could watch the priceless looks on your faces once you realized that you can't get rid of me that easily."

"Shit!" Takuya cursed, pointing his own gun at the ceiling, his aim directed at the soldiers.

"This isn't good," Ami mumbled, a worried frown on her face.

Reuben laughed. "Sure, you may be able to shoot some of my guards, but they will take you all out within a matter of seconds."

"You bastard!" Zoe screamed at him.

"Oh, I've been waiting for you, Zoe. Glad to see me?" Her uncle taunted.

Zoe glared at him. "Fuck you!"

"Now, that's no way to speak to a king. Where are your manners?" Reuben mocked her.

"You're not the king, so stop acting like you are," the blond hissed.

The man shrugged. "Well, who else would take over? My pathetic excuse for a brother isn't around anymore to tell me what to do. And you certainly don't have what it takes to run a kingdom. I did you a favor."

Zoe trembled, trying her best not to sprint over to him and attack him. She would surely be killed if she attempted to. Reuben noticed this and smirked.

"What's the matter, Zoe? Too afraid to face your uncle?"

"No, you're the one who's afraid," she growled. "You have your idiotic henchmen waiting to shoot me if I make any move."

Reuben smiled. "On the contrary, I _want_ you to face me. It's only fair."

"What, so you can shoot her to death?!" Takuya yelled at him.

"No, I won't cheat. I promise. But if any of you interfere, I will command my soldiers to annihilate her," Reuben told him. "Your choice."

Takuya looked at Zoe. "Zoe, don't do it."

"I have to," she replied gravely. "If I don't, they'll kill us anyway."

"But Zoe-"

The blond cut Ami off. "No, it has to be done. At least this way, we have some kind of a chance, rather than waiting to die."

Kouji glowered at Reuben. "But you'll still have your team of morons to finish us off."

"Actually, I gave them specific orders to simply stand on the sidelines and make sure that none of you interfere," Reuben explained. "They will only fire if someone jumps in. And their target with be Zoe, so think wisely before you decide to interrupt."

Takuya felt his blood begin to boil. "So what happens when Zoe kills you, huh? They'll shoot us anyway."

Reuben shrugged nonchalantly. "That won't happen, for I never lose. But even if I did, I never promised that I would let you guys go without a fight."

Takuya looked at the fifty recruits on his team, then at the hundred plus soldiers in Reuben's army. They would just have to take their chances and be ready to fire the moment Reuben hit the ground.

"Fine," he finally gave him, unable to do anything more.

A cruel smirk curled Reuben's lips. "Very good. Zoe, you may step forward."

The blond silently moved up a few steps, her emerald eyes burning into his.

"And you may use this," he said, tossing her a sword. "I figured that I would give you the privilege of using your father's favorite sword as a parting gift."

Zoe unsheathed it, gripping its jewel encrusted handle tighly in her hands.

"But before we begin, I have one last surprise for you," Reuben told her, unsheathing his own blade.

"What is it?" Her heart rate increased.

Reuben jerked his head to the right, signalling one of his guards. "I wanted to show you your father one last time."

**ah, the dreaded cliffhangers! i swear, by the end of this story im going to have a bounty on my head...oh well as long as you guys like it, i dont mind being known as 'The Bitch Who Uses Too Many Fucking Cliffhangers'. the next chapter will be full of violence and bloodshed, so keep a lookout for it. and if you review i will give you a special brownie and a hug =3 unless of course, you just want the brownie. which is okay with me, i already had four....look! its a flying penguin with a ninja costume on! hello mr. penguin! would you like to buy a raffle ticket?! only $10,000 each!**


	23. Chapter 23

**i cant believe its been almost two weeks since i've updated this damn story. im so sorry, but hey i finally got around to finishing this chapter so yay! also, there is a bounty on my head worth $250,000. first person who turns me in gets the money and a year supply of chocolate**

**j.p.: chocolate?! *throws net over me and proceeds to drag me away* now i get chocolate and money to buy even more chocolate! yay!**

**me: *cuts rope with switchblade and crawls away***

**j.p.: *doesn't notice me getting out* chocolate! chocolate! I'M GETTING ME SOME CHOCOLATE!**

**takuya: uh, what are you doing?**

**j.p.: im turning in the crazy girl for the bounty. im gonna be rich and full of chocolate!**

**takuya: uh..she cut herself out and now the net is empty**

**j.p.: yeah right! you're just jealous! but i get chocolate!**

**takuya: okay, whatever.... -_-;**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 23**

The sword shook in Zoe's hands, and she was dreading what she was about to see.

"Come on," Reuben hissed to three of his soldiers. "Hurry the fuck up."

A moment later, the soldiers stumbled out from behind a curtain, dragging along the corpse of the deceased king. Zoe screamed in horror as they let his frozen body fall to the ground. There was a sickening crack as a few of Malcolm's fingers broke off from the impact.

"Oh my god..." Tears filled Zoe's eyes and she cautiously made her way over to her father.

"Fuck," Takuya muttered.

Ami closed her eyes, burying her face into Kouji's chest.

The blond dropped to her knees beside Malcolm, then gingerly reached down to touch his ice-cold face. The second they made contact, she immediately withdrew her hand. She choked back a sob, letting hot tears drip onto the body. There was a hole in Malcolm's chest, and his clothes were crusted with dry, frozen blood.

"You sick fucker!" Zoe screamed at Reuben.

"Don't worry. He didn't suffer too much. I could've easily started by cutting his limbs off," Reuben told her with a smirk on his face. "Besides, he wasn't right for the job."

Zoe glared at him. "Then why the fuck did you kill him?! You could've just kept him locked up!"

"I didn't want to take the risk, although I doubt that I he could've done anything threatening," he replied.

The princess slowly rose to her feet, her emerald eyes darkening several shades. She suddenly lunged forward with her sword, taking Reuben by surprise. The king faltered back for a moment, then used one hand to punch her in the stomach. Zoe gritted her teeth against the pain, then dodged Reuben's blade as he attempted to slice her across the chest. She crouched down, whipping her sword against his legs.

"Fuck!" Reuben jumped out of the way at the last second, the blade only grazing his pant leg. "Fucking bitch!"

He swung his sword again, intending to decapitate her. Zoe ducked easily and countered with her own attack. Their blades clanked together and squealed as they scratched each other. Wanting to get the upperhand, Reuben kicked out at her stomach. Zoe stumbled back from the blow, but quickly recovered. She spun, swinging her blade downward.

"Shit!" Reuben screamed.

Blood began to pour out of his shoulder, staining his elegant robe. He hissed through is teeth, his eyes burning with anger. Reuben thrust his sword forward, barely missing the blond.

Takuya cursed under his breath, terrified of what might happen to Zoe. He glanced up to the ceiling to see that the soldiers all had their weapons pointed at Zoe. One of the men had his finger on the trigger, slowly tightening around it. Takuya knew what he was about to do and fired his own gun at the man. Shocked, everyone paused to see the soldier come crashing down, his bones breaking as he landed on the hard floor. A puddle of blood began to pool around him, the crimson liquid embedding itself into the cracks and grooves of the floor.

"Just fucking shoot them!" Takuya commanded his team, firing an array of bullets at Reuben's army.

Men and women fell from the ceiling as the recruits fired their guns wildly. Forgetting about Zoe, the opposing side concentrated on Takuya and his commrades.

"Shit!" Kouji ducked behind a pillar just as Ami dove behind it as well. "Why the fuck did you start this, Kanbara?!"

"Fucker was going to shoot Zoe!" Takuya shouted back.

Reuben, who had briefly taken his attention off of Zoe, resumed attacking her. Zoe's sword clanged against his, preventing him from slicing her into pieces. To his annoyance, each time he went to strike her, Zoe countered with her own attack.

"You're father taught you well, I see," Reuben growled. "But you're forgetting that Malcolm and I were given the same exact training. Therefore you can not beat me!"

He thrust the blade forward, this time slicing into Zoe's side. The princess cried out in pain, feeling warm blood trickle down. She swung at him with her sword, managing to graze his neck. Although it was not deep, the cut still stung Reuben. He grunted and jumped at her again.

Bodies fell left and right, some from Takuya's side, others from Reuben's. Kouji groaned as a bullet lodged into his shoulder, sending him flying backwards.

"Kouji!" Ami ran over to him, only to get yanked back by one of Reuben's soldiers.

She glared back at him and tilted her gun, firing six rounds into his face. The man collapsed to the ground, dead. Kouji sat up against the wall, trying to see the damage, as well as firing at the enemy.

"Oh, my god!" Ami dropped to her knees beside him.

"I'm okay," he told her. "Just keep shooting them."

Ami nodded, then quickly leaned forward to give him a kiss on the lips. Although he couldn't see what was going on, Kouji lifted his gun and fired. Four of Reuben's soldiers collapsed to the ground before they could attack the couple. A moment later, Ami sprang back up, ready to fight.

Takuya and Tommy were firing their machine guns in every direction. Takuya pulled a knife out of his belt and flung it forward, impaling a man through the forehead. He grabbed three more, sending them flying in any direction. Miraculously, he hit a target every single time, all of them fatal.

Zoe fell to the ground as Reuben's blade sank into her shoulder slightly. He grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her up to decapitate her. However, before he could, Zoe gripped onto his arm and yanked forward. Reuben somersaulted painfully onto the hard floor, then felt Zoe jump on top of him. She went to impale him through the chest, but Reuben promptly let go of his sword and grabbed onto hers. He was stronger and managed to move the blade away. He then yanked her forward, causing her to flip forward onto her back. Reuben scrambled up and attempted to stab the blade down into her, only for her to roll away at the last moment. Angry, he kicked her sharply in the side. Zoe coughed up a mouthful of blood, then swung her legs out, kicking his out from under him.

"Shit!" Reuben slammed into the ground.

Zoe groaned, heaving herself up. Reuben was still holding onto her sword, so she took his discarded one in return. The king rose as well, swinging the blade at her with all his might. Zoe stopped it with the other one, then jerked her hand. This caused both of them to lose hold of the swords, only for them to be switched.

"Don't ever touch my father's blade again," Zoe hissed, thrusting it forward.

"I don't think your daddy will give a shit!" He snarled, dodging the attack. "I fucking killed him after all!"

"You asshole!" Zoe dove away from him, feeling bullets dart past her.

Reuben yelled at his army. "Watch it, you idiots! Don't fucking shoot _me_! Shoot _them_!"

Several of his soldiers muttered apologies, concentrating their aim on Takuya and the recruits.

"Kouji, how ya doin'?" Takuya called over to his wounded friend.

"Just fucking peachy!" Kouji replied over the loud gunfire. "I've had worse!"

A bullet penetrated Tommy's leg and he began to fall. Ami quickly grabbed hold of his arm, keeping him in a standing position. She shot an oncoming soldier in the head, spilling the woman's brains to the floor. Ami cautiously dragged him over to Kouji, shooting all the while. Takuya kept her covered to make sure that no one shot at the pair.

"You alright?" He asked Tommy.

"Yeah, it just hurts to fucking stand!" Tommy told him.

Ami set him down beside Kouji and ran back towards Reuben's enemy. She easily dodged their bullets, spraying them with her own. By now more than half of the opposing side had been killed.

Takuya glanced over to see Reuben attempting to stab Zoe in the stomach.

"Zoe!" He screamed, firing his gun at the king.

Reuben heard, and the bullet ricocheted off his blade. A moment later, Takuya was shot point blank in the chest by one of the soldiers.

"Takuya!" Zoe wailed.

The brunette fell to the ground, unable to breathe. Zoe stared at him in horror, then tried to run over to him. Reuben grabbed her around the neck, however. He twisted her wrist until it cracked, causing her drop her sword.

Zoe screamed in pain, then watched helplessly as Takuya simply laid there. From the corner of her eye, she could see Ami get shot in the arm.

"Fuck!" Ami dropped her gun, feeling her entire arm go numb.

"Ami!" Kouji shouted.

Reuben leaned his face close to Zoe's ear. "I killed your father, your boyfriend, and now your friend is gonna die too. You can't beat me."

Tears ran down Zoe's face as she stared at her fallen friends. Suddenly, she smirked and let out a dry laugh.

Reuben frowned. "What are you laughing about?"

"It isn't over," she hissed, then roughly slammed her elbow into his stomach.

At the same moment, Takuya sat up and fired his gun straight at Reuben. A bullet pierced through the king's shoulder, exiting out through the back of it. He gasped, then stumbled away from them, behind a group of his henchmen.

"Finish them!" He commanded them, running out of the room through a nearby door.

Takuya rushed over to Zoe, pulling out the bullet that had been imbedded into his bullet-proof vest. "Hate when that happens. Still fucking hurts..."

Only about twenty of Reuben's guards remained, all of them covered in blood.

"He's getting away," Takuya complained, glaring at the soldiers.

"We'll catch up," Zoe replied.

They dove behind a fallen pillar as Reuben's army fired at them. Takuya whistled quietly, pulling a grenade off his belt and detaching the small metal piece to set it off. He hurled it at the group, then threw himself on top of Zoe to cover her. At the same time, Ami had joined Kouji and Tommy against the wall, and huddled between them. A second later, the grenade detonated, killing the last of the soldiers. Blood and bones sprayed across the room, reaching the walls and even the high ceiling.

Once the dust had dimished, Takuya heaved himself off the princess and pulled her up.

"Okay, let's go catch the bastard," he muttered.

Zoe picked her sword up, holding it with her left hand. "I think he broke my wrist."

"Shit, you okay?" He asked.

"I'll live. Either way, I'm finishing the bastard off with a vengeance."

Takuya looked at his friends, along with the remaining recruits. Many of them seemed exhausted, but physically intact for the most part. Kouji and Ami slowly rose, while Tommy remained sitting.

"You guys go ahead," he gasped. "Oh, fuck...I need a nap...."

Takuya smirked. "Go ahead, we'll take care of Reuben."

Tommy nodded, closing his eyes. Kouji and Ami made their way over, Kouji wincing from his bullet wound.

"Damn, this thing hurts like hell," he hissed.

Ami looked down at her injured forearm. The bullet had entered in through the inside of her arm, then became lodged near the outter part, right below the skin.

"I'm getting this thing out," she said, pulling a knife out.

Zoe turned her face away in disgust as Ami made an incision where the bullet was. She then lifted the skin with the blade, digging the bullet out with the tip. Kouji and Takuya watched fasination, staring at she finally popped the bullet out. It fell to the floor, clinking as it bounced slightly.

"Okay, I'm good," she told them.

Kouji pulled a bandana out of his pocket, securing it around her arm to stop some of the bleeding.

"You guys ready?" Takuya asked.

Everyone nodded in unision, anxious to end things once and for all.

"Okay, let's go kill him."

**okay, finally done with this chapter. the next one comes out hopefully within a few days, so keep a lookout ^_^ read and review like always to make me happy for an hour. and yeah, there is quite a bit of swearing especially for a T-rated story. i dunno, i dont think swearing is a big deal seeing how i learned how to say 'oh fuck' when i was two. everyone around me swears just as much, so it is embedded into my vocabulary ^_^ oh well enough of this unimportant matter, im gonna go take a friggen nap...**


	24. Chapter 24

**holy crap, i was actually able to update this before doomsday! fastest update i've had in months....anyway i hope you like this chapter so let me know with your reviews ^_^ also with everyone changing their avatars im kinda in the mood to change mine as well...getting tired of looking at the eye...**

**takuya: copycat!**

**me: im not a copycat. only if i copy someone else's avatar. i think i know what pic i have in mind. but if the image is too small, then ill try another one ^_^ maybe ill do it when im done with this chapter!**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 24**

The four of them cautiously entered the room that Reuben had run into. The king was merely leaning up against a corner, using one hand to tightly clutch onto his gushing shoulder. In his other hand he held onto his blood-stained sword. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, dribbling down his chin in twin streams.

"Come to finish me off, huh?" He let out a dry laugh. "Go ahead. Shoot me like the little pussies that you are."

"Oh, we're not going to shoot you," Zoe said in a soft voice.

The others looked at her, surprised.

"What?!" Takuya's eyes widened. "Then what are we going to do?"

"_We're_ not doing anything," Zoe replied. "_I'm_ going to finish him off like I was supposed to. That was the deal, right?"

Ami frowned. "But your wrist might be broken. How are you supposed to take him on?"

"Yeah, it's suicide," Kouji added.

Zoe shook her head, determined. "My right hand may be useless, but I can still use my left. And with his shoulder in the condition that it is, I think we're somewhat evenly matched."

"No, I won't let you." Takuya raised his gun and pointed it at Reuben.

"No," Zoe pleaded. "This is something that I have to do. I at least deserve to finish him off my way."

Takuya groaned, exchanging nervous glances with the other two. "I don't know...."

Ami sighed. "Let her do it."

"What?! Are you crazy?" Kouji argued.

"No, I understand where she's coming from. He slaughterd half the castle, her father, and innocent bystanders. Let her get her revenge once and for all," Ami told him.

Kouji looked at Takuya. "What do you think?"

"Fuck...." Takuya slid his handgun back into his belt. "Fine......"

Zoe smiled, giving him a quick kiss. "I'm sorry, Takuya. But I have to do this. I hope you understand."

He nodded, giving her a brief smile in return. "I guess if I were in your position, I would do the same."

"You gonna fight me or what?" Reuben growled. "Even with a bum shoulder, I can still hack you in to pieces."

"Shut the fuck up," Takuya said with venom in his voice.

Zoe slowly walked over to her uncle, gripping the sword in her hand. It felt much heavier, but she would just have to deal with it. Reuben stepped forward as well, a smirk on his face.

"Luckily for me, the bullet hit my left shoulder. So my good arm is still perfectly intact," he taunted her.

"Doesn't matter," Zoe replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, I think it does!" He lunged forward, thrusting his sword at her.

Zoe dodged the blade, swinging her own in return. She could feel her arm straining a bit as she tried to keep it steady. Reuben easily side-stepped the attack, countering with his own. Their blades clanged up against each other, and Reuben jerked his wrist. Sparks sprayed onto the ground and he lunged forward. He fell on top of her, his sword twisting with hers. Zoe gritted her teeth, using her blade to keep his away.

Takuya's hand went to his belt to retrieve his gun, but Ami stopped him.

"Don't," she said sternly. "Trust her....."

The brunette groaned, his chocolate eyes burning with hatred. "Dammit....."

Zoe kicked Reuben off, sending him flying backwards. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, hitting his bad shoulder.

"Fuck!" A mist of blood flew from his mouth and he quickly rolled away to dodge Zoe's next attack.

He attempted to trip her by swinging his legs into hers, but Zoe jumped away. In return, Zoe swung her blade down into his, struggling to overpower him. Reuben rose to his feet, keeping his sword pressed against hers. He then let go of his sword with one hand and punched her in the stomach. Zoe's guard went down as she doubled over in pain. Just as Reuben was about to decapitate her, she threw herself backward and sliced him straight across the chest. Blood sprayed onto the floor just as Zoe fell onto her back.

Reuben gasped, clenching his teeth as his wound stung.

"Alright, Zoe!" Takuya cheered. "Kick his ass!"

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Dude, just shut up."

"You haven't won yet!" Reuben screamed, swinging at her with the blade.

Zoe managed to move away enough to avoid being sliced open, but the blade still sank deep into her shoulder.

Takuya went to run over, only to be restrained by Kouji. "Let me go!"

"No!" Kouji struggled to hang onto him.

"Takuya, she has to do this on her own!" Ami added, helping Kouji. "She's not an idiot and knows exactly what she's doing."

Takuya glared at them. "No, let me fucking go!"

The two of them weren't having the easiest time holding him back, as both of their injuries were searing in agony.

Meanwhile, Zoe had ignored the pain and lashed out at Reuben again. The king went up to block the blow, but miscalculated where he should've raised the sword. Zoe's blade cut into two of his fingers, and they fell onto the floor in a bloody heap. Reuben wailed, angrily switching his sword into his other hand.

"You fucking bitch! I'll kill you!" He swung his blade horizontally across her neck.

Zoe jumped back, but still felt blood running down her neck and chest. By now, Takuya had almost freed himself from his friends' grasp.

"Let. Me. Go!" He screamed.

"I can't hold on much longer!" Ami shouted to Kouji, both of her arms burning.

"I can't either!" Kouji grunted.

Reuben ran over to swing his blade into Zoe's stomach, a look of triumph on his face. The triumph quickly turned into terror as Zoe ducked, thrusting her own blade forward. A second later, it penetrated deep into his chest.

He gasped, dropping his sword. It clattered to the ground, drops of blood dripping onto the floor. Zoe's emerald eyes burned into his, a tiny smirk on her lips. She drove the blade in deeper, until finally it ripped out through his back.

Takuya and the others stopped what they were doing, their eyes wide with shock. They slowly made their way over to Zoe, who was still driving the sword in deeper.

"Just fucking kill me!" Reuben screamed.

Zoe chuckled, then yanked the blade out roughly. Reuben collapsed onto the dusty floor, a huge hole in his chest.

"So....you gonna finish me off and finally avenge your daddy?" He mocked.

To his surprise, the blond shook her head. "No."

"What?!" Everyone screamed.

"I said, I'm not going to." Zoe looked at Ami and smiled. "Ami will."

Her dark-haired friend gasped. "Zoe...I can't take that away from you."

"I got my revenge," Zoe told her. "Now it's time for yours. Kill the man who killed your parents."

Ami gingerly took the sword from Zoe, who immediately fell to her knees from exhaustion. Takuya quickly knelt by her side, gathering her into his arms.

Reuben laughed. "You're pathetic....."

Ami's smirked. "Am I?"

She stood over him, letting the blade sway side to side teasingly above his face.

"I honestly never knew if I would ever get the chance to do this," she said in a low voice. "My, how the tables have turned."

"Oh, just kill me, you stupid bitch!" Reuben spat.

Kouji gave him a sharp kick in the side. "Don't talk to her like that."

Ami only smiled. "Oh, I plan on killing you. But first...I have something else in mind."

Reuben glared up at her. "What the fuck is that supposed to-"

He was cut off as she jabbed the blade down straight into his right eye. Ami quickly withdrew it from the writhing, screaming man.

"My fucking eye! What the fuck!" His screams seemed to echo off the walls as he fused his punctured eye closed.

Ami didn't speak, but simply did the same as his remaining eye, piercing it. Blood ran down Reuben's contorted face, as well as yellow liquid from the burst eyeballs.

Kouji and Takuya laughed, enjoying the man's shrieks of pain. Zoe smiled as well, letting her head rest against Takuya's chest as she began to doze off.

Ami looked down at the pathetic, dying king. "Revenge is a bitch, ain't it?"

With that she rammed the sword down one last time. It went through one of Reuben's destroyed eyes, piercing his brain. His body shuddered and twitched, then ceased to move. Ami drove the sword down even deeper, making sure he was gone once and for all. A moment later, she buried herself into Kouji's chest.

"Well....you got him," Kouji speculated.

"About time this shit came to an end," Takuya added.

He was dabbing a cloth against Zoe's neck wound.

Kouji stroked Ami's soft hair, then gave her a kiss on the forehead. "We better go check on Tommy and James, as well as any other survivors."

Takuya and Ami nodded in agreement and followed Kouji to the door, Takuya cradling an unconcious Zoe in his arms.

"Uh...is she okay?" Kouji asked Takuya.

However, it was Ami who answered. "Zoe will be just fine. I think she just passed out from being tired. Can't say I blame her....Feel like I need a nap as well..."

Takuya looked down at Zoe's face, smiling at her. A moment later, they entered the next room, which was showered in blood and littered with corpses. Their throats clenched and they dreaded that there were hardly an survivors at all....

**okay now seemed like a good time to end the chapter. a bit of a cliffhanger, but nothing too important. only one or two chapters (most likely two) left so yay! i want to end this story once and for all! and again, please review (or flame, whatever) and the next chapter comes out....uh i dunno..maybe two or three days?**


	25. Chapter 25

**okay guys, heres the thing. im so sick and tired of being on this story that i just decided to end it this way. if you dont like it, my apologies. but seriously, ive been on it for four friggen months and just want to get on with my life. this is a very VERY sucky ending and i will not offended by possible flames. hell, i dont like the ending but i didnt know how else to do it and as i said, i want to finish the damn story! so please read, review if you'd like, and look forward to my newest story coming out within a week! yay!**

**Falling from Grace**

**Chapter 25**

To Takuya's relief, both Tommy and James were alive and well, despite their injuries. James had crawled into the room to sit beside Tommy, leaving behind a trail of blood. Takuya rushed over to them, followed by Kouji and Ami. He set Zoe's unconscious body down next to the injured pair, taking care to lay her on a blood-free area.

"How are you guys doing?" He asked them.

"In a lot of fucking pain," James replied. "But alive."

Ami began to look around the room, cautiously making her way around the fallen bodies of their commrades and enemies. A small group of the recruits were sitting in a corner, tending to their minor wounds. They gave Ami a curt nod to show that they were okay, giving her some relief that there were at least a few survivors. However, she noticed a familiar body a moment later.

"Oh god...." She knelt beside the lifeless body of Akira.

The young man's body was littered with bloody bullet holes and his vacant eyes stared at nothing.

"What's wrong?" Kouji asked, coming up beside her.

Ami sighed, taking Akira's wrist to find a pulse, knowing there would not be one. "Akira didn't make it."

Kouji gave Akira a sympathetic smile, then gently closed the dead man's eyes. He then took hold of Ami's good arm and pulled her up.

"Without him....there may have been more casualties...," she said softly, her voice trailing off.

"I think he knew that this had to be done. For the greater good," Kouji tried to tell her.

Ami only shook her head, walking back over to Tommy and James.

"So, is he dead?" Tommy asked Takuya. "Reuben, I mean."

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, he's gone."

"You sure?" James chimed in. "Did you make sure to give him one last bullet to the head?"

"More like a sword through the brain," Takuya replied.

"Hehe, cool," James chuckled, then winced at the pain. "Ow....is there a fucking doctor anywhere nearby? I need me some friggen drugs...."

Tommy snorted. "Quit whining. I think I can hear an ambulance in the backround. They sound like they're heading to the castle."

"Better be more than one measly ambulance. A hundred would be more like it," James quipped.

Takuya sank down, placing Zoe's head on his lap. "I wonder how things went once we got inside the castle."

"What do you mean?" Kouji asked.

"I mean what happened outside...I wonder how many survivors there are....." Takuya said quietly.

Ami glanced at a window. "We'll find out soon enough."

She painfully climbed onto the low window sill, wincing as pain shot through her arm. After a brief hesitation, she looked outside.

"What do you see?" Kouji called over to her.

Ami looked back at him with a grim expression, then shook her head. She hopped back down, slowly making her way back over to the group.

"It's what you would expect in a battlefield.....blood and bodies everywhere," she told him. "Most of the bodies were unmoving, but I saw a few squirming around a bit."

Kouji sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Hopefully there are more survivors than we think."

"I hope so," she replied.

Takuya looked down at the sleeping princess, gently stroking her hair. "Well, at least that jackass is gone for good. That's the important thing."

"I guess.....," Ami said softly. "But at what cost? The lives of hundreds?"

"Ami, they knew right from the start that they might not make it," Kouji chimed in. "They chose to fight for their freedom and risk dying, rather than being one of Reuben's bitches."

Ami cracked a tiny smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We'll know the exact body count within a day or so....."

"I'm not looking forward to that," Tommy said quietly.

"Me neither," the others added.

After a brief pause, James decided to complain once again.

"I need some fucking Captain Morgan's or something," he whined. "Bullets in the leg suck!"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Good the know that getting injured doesn't make you any less annoying."

"I'll settle for some Jack Daniels though," James told them, ignoring the insult. "Just anything to numb this friggen pain!"

_Two days later_

There was a grand total of seven hundred fifty-two casualties. Although more than half of them belonged to Reuben's army, the number was still staggering for the recruits. Three hundred seventy-four people lost their lives, over a third of the recruits. The castle was in the process of getting cleaned, the spots of blood still staining the walls and ceilings.

The area surrounding the kingdom had been cleared of all bodies, and the blood had been washed away by the night rain. By the time the remainder of Reuben's army had shown up to the castle, they discovered that their king was dead. All of them were arrested, and set to go to court on numerous accounts of murder.

Tommy, Kouji, Zoe, and Ami each had their injuries wrapped up, none of them particularly serious. James was required to stay off his leg, using a crutch to help him walk. He and Tommy were walking through the corriders of the castle, where they had been seen by the medical staff. They were now on their way to the grand ballroom, to say their goodbyes to Zoe.

"This blows! I hate using this goddamn thing!" He complained, hobbling around on the wooden object. "I'm going to fall any minute now!"

"Stop complaining," Tommy said, limping slightly. "You're lucky you didn't lose your damn leg."

James snorted, almost falling over. "I might as well have with the way I'm walking!"

A young, pretty maid walked by, her long strawberry-blond hair falling over her shoulders.

James flashed her a smile. "Hey there. Wanna hook up sometime?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"I helped save the kingdom," he bragged. "I shot that bastard Reuben three times in the chest!"

She chuckled. "Really?"

"Yes," he lied. "So....can I have your number?"

The maid paused, then looked at Tommy. "Who are you?"

"That's just Tommy, some kid who tagged along to help," James answered before Tommy could, pushing the boy away.

"You're cute," the maid said to Tommy, handing him a piece of paper from her apron. "Call me sometime. And by the way, my name is Christie."

She gave him a flirty smile and walked away, leaving Tommy red-faced and James shocked.

"She chose you over me?!" James finally exclaimed, resuming his way to the ballroom. "How the hell did that happen?!"

Tommy laughed. "What can I say? The ladies love me...."

"Yeah, real funny," James griped.

A moment later, they entered the ballroom, where Takuya and Kouji were anxiously waiting.

"How's it going?" Tommy asked them.

"Eh, not so great," Kouji said. "We have to get going...but at the same time, we don't want to leave...."

Takuya sighed. "We can't stay here, though. We're bounty hunters, which means we travel around and take jobs when they are offered."

"So you guys aren't sticking around?" James inquired.

"Why, are you?" Kouji raised an eyebrow.

James shook his head. "Nah, I gotta get back home and so does Tommy."

"Yeah, my little sister is worried sick about me," Tommy said sheepishly. "But there's no reason why you guys can't stay here. I mean, you don't have an actual home, do you?"

"No, we survive off of payments, then usually stay in hotels. Every now and again we sleep in the woods if there's nothing around or if there are no jobs for us to do," Takuya explained. "We just came here to accept the payment Princess Zoe is offering to us."

James smiled. "I think you mean Queen Zoe. She is the ruler of the kingdom now, you know."

"I know that," Takuya snapped. "Give me a break, I haven't slept well."

"Why, because it wasn't in Zoe's bed?" Tommy quipped.

"Why you little-"

Kouji cut him off however, and nudged him gently in the arm. As Takuya turned to look, Zoe and Ami both stepped into the room. Zoe was wearing a long, lavender dress with gold trimming on the bodice. Her cleavage was peeking out, yet not in an obvious way. Ami was also wearing a gown, only hers was a light blue. She clearly looked uncomfortable in the dress, for she kept tugging.

"Why do I have to wear this?" Ami grumbled. "It's horrendous!"

"I think you look beautiful," Kouji said, walking over to her. "I like seeing you in a dress."

Ami blushed, looking down. "You're not the one who has to wear it....."

Zoe made her way over to Takuya, a shy smile on her face. "Can I uh...talk to you alone for a minute?"

"Sure," he replied, walking over to the corner of the room with her. "So.....what's up?"

"Nothing much," she told him. "Well, other than being queen and all...hehe...not sure how to do it exactly."

Takuya smirked. "You'll learn over time. Obviously you won't pick it up right off the bat."

"Yeah, I guess...." She stopped in front of the wall, casually leaning against it. "And I'm gonna assume that you would like your payment, correct? You deserve it after all."

"It would be nice," he told her sheepishly. "Kinda strapped for cash right now....."

Zoe nodded, reaching into the bag she was holding. She gingerly took out several thick wads of bills, then handed them over to him.

"It's been counted out, but you can double check it if you'd like," she said.

Takuya simply pocketed them. "Nah, I believe you."

"It's uh...all there....half a million dollars." She looked at the floor, her heartbeat quickening. "So....do you have to leave soon?"

"Yeah, we do," Takuya replied. "We're gonna go see if there are any bounties for us to collect. James said he would fly us back home."

"Where exactly is home?" She asked him.

Takuya paused for a moment. "Well...we don't have a permanant home. We just travel around and stay in hotels for the most part. As of lately though, business has been dying down a bit. Not as many people to catch, you know...."

He glanced over too see Kouji and Ami in a tight embrace, both of them with saddened expressions. The brunette looked back at Zoe, feeling a tug at his heart. He did not want to leave....but he felt as though he had no choice. The castle had been returned to Zoe, and his services were no longer needed.

"I...uh...better get going," Takuya finally said. "James wants to leave soon, so I need to pack up."

"Oh, okay...." Zoe's voice trailed off. "Would you like anything to eat before you leave? I can have the cook prepare something for you."

Takuya shook his head. "Nah, I'm not really hungry. Thanks anyway."

"Alright," the blond said softly. "Take care....and make sure you and Kouji keep each other out of trouble."

"Can't make any promises," he said with a chuckle. "But we'll try our best."

Zoe hesitated, then wrapped her arms around his neck. Takuya stiffened, then felt his own arms encircle her.

"Hopefully we'll meet again someday," he whispered into her ear. "May not be for awhile, but I'll see what I can do."

Zoe buried her face in his chest, tightening her grip around him. Takuya sighed and stroked her hair. The girl finally pulled back, her emerald eyes filled with sadness.

Takuya became entranced in them, then slowly lowered his lips to hers. Zoe responded with a small gasp, but soon found herself kissing him back. James chuckled and looked as though he was about to say something, only to be elbowed in the ribs by Tommy.

"Don't you dare," Tommy hissed. "Or I'll break your other leg so that you'll need a wheelchair."

James threw him an aggravated look, but remained silent.

Takuya eventually pulled away, then silently began to walk away, unable to speak. However, he felt Zoe grab onto his hand. Surprised, he looked back at her.

"Do...do you really have to go?" She asked. "I mean, if you want to stay here, you're more than welcome to."

Takuya smirked. "Why, are you going to miss me that much?"

Zoe's face turned red and she looked down quickly. "Well, that way you won't have to travel around or stay in the woods. There are plenty of jobs around here I'm sure you could do."

"Oh, really?" He smiled at her. "Is that the real reason why you want me to stay?"

"I uh...um....-"

She didn't have to finish though, for Takuya had brought his lips to hers for a second time. He wrapped his arms around her waist, slightly lifting her off the ground.

"You never know....someone else might try to take over the kingdom. And who better to do the job than me and Kouji?" He asked after a minute.

"As long as Kouji's okay with the idea, it shouldn't be a problem, right?" She asked, somewhat nervously.

Kouji was too busy at the moment to hear them. Instead, he was preoccupied with Ami, who was passionately kssing him.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Even if he wasn't okay with it, too bad," Takuya said with a laugh. "I'll just knock him out and let Ami have her way with him until he changes his mind."

"Hey, I heard that!" Kouji shouted over to them.

"Good, then you know that we're staying here!" Takuya replied.

Kouji shrugged, trying not to come off as excited. However, Ami pressed him into the wall and begin to kiss him again.

"I think it's our cue to leave," Tommy whispered to James.

The redhead nodded, then began to hobble away. Tommy gave Takuya and Zoe a nod, then followed his friend.

"Call me anytime you need something," Tommy told them as he left. "I'll be there to back you up."

Takuya smiled, then threw two stacks of cash over to the pair. "Thanks!"

He turned his attention back to Zoe. "So....would you mind showing me the rest of the castle?"

"Sure, why not. I'll give you a tour of the place," Zoe replied. "It may take awhile, though."

"Or....you could give me a tour of your bedroom," he quipped.

Zoe's eyes went wide. "What?!"

"Hehe, I was just kidding...." he said nervously, backing away.

Instead of yelling at him, she smiled. "I'm surprised you didn't ask me sooner."

**okay, im done with this godforsaken story! i give this ending a grand total of 0 stars and 0 points! but its over so now i can go celebrate, get drunk, and start my sequel to Bloodbath! the sequel will be called Red Rose and will be out within a week or so. keep a lookout and let me know if you liked this crappy ending/story. see ya later! and haha, im finished! after four long months! im done! *runs off like a lunatic***


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